


Cerulean Eyes

by jongnugget, Kairousels



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Inspired by Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Light Angst, M/M, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Smut, basically we just wanted to write exo as scientists okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:14:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 38,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22836880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jongnugget/pseuds/jongnugget, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairousels/pseuds/Kairousels
Summary: Kyungsoo has spent his entire life reading about the lost paradise. Now finding it, that becomes the real adventure.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 70
Kudos: 195





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The kaironugget braincell is back with another fic!
> 
> This time, inspired by 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire', aka, everybody's favorite cartoon. 
> 
> All credits go to @honeygoms on twitter for creating such a beautiful moodboard for us. You're the best Purse <3
> 
> Enjoy~

Kyungsoo adjusts his tie for the thirteenth time in the last five minutes.

He stares at the small table for two in front of him, mouth watering at the sight of the freshly baked bread sitting in the basket in the middle. He doesn’t think he can stomach it right now, though. Not with how his stomach is constantly flipping nervously.

He broke into a sweat the moment he entered the restaurant and saw that _nobody was there_. 

He was informed by the hostess that the entire building was rented out for his meeting tonight. He should feel comforted that at least if he makes an idiot of himself it will only be in front of very few people, but the longer he sits at this table _alone_ , the more anxious he feels.

The waiter comes over and offers him wine. He’s tempted but if he picks up a wine glass right now, his hand would be too shaky to even lift it to his lips. Instead, he shakes his head and just holds his briefcase even closer to his chest.

His cover letter is in his other hand, and he reads over it like a madman just in case there are any wrinkles or stains. He’s got at least 4 others in his briefcase just in case, but luckily it looks just as spotless and perfect as it did ten minutes ago when he last looked.

It’s a miracle he’s even here right now, waiting for what could possibly be the big break he’s been hoping for for years. The turning point of his life. 

He cannot help that feeling of insecurity and uttermost horror as he simply sits and waits. He knew this meeting was to be a very serious, a very definite and strict one. The people who had approached him about his research before had certainly been intimidating- professionals on behalf of Heechul himself coming to him with formal requests and vague proposals. Letting him in on just about enough information to pique his interest, but immediately retreating the more questions he asked. They seemed to only want to know about his research, nothing else, which only unnerved Kyungsoo to his very core.

That’s how this meeting had come to be, though- the questions he had were no longer easy to answer, and the answers he expected were no longer decisions of those intimidating messengers. 

This meeting is different, though. The man that reached out- _Kim Heechul_ \- had already known about Kyungsoo’s research to the very T. Kyungsoo was at first mildly startled considering he doesn’t have many published research papers or blogs about his findings. In fact, he keeps a lot of it under wraps and only details his research to those close to him or proper investors.

Alas, even the wealthiest of investors had dismissed his ideas and proposals before. He had been ridiculed by many in the past for his _delusions_ of a lost paradise. It was just better to keep gathering more details and expand his knowledge, he’d figured at some point.

He was surprised to find out that Heechul was an old acquaintance of his brother, and that they had met briefly at his funeral. Kyungsoo hardly remembers anything of that day, but when he and his family went through his brother’s things, he had come across pictures of Heechul and his brother during his brother’s college years.

Heechul didn’t really outline much in his short email. Mostly saying that he knew what Kyungsoo was after, and that he would love to meet him to talk about funding. The only other part of his four sentenced email was a time and date to meet at the very restaurant he’s sitting in now, the ending being ‘ _see u soon, sent from my iphone10_ ’.

He had thought at first that this was probably some nasty joke. A ghastly reminder of his horrible losses. However, the sole fact that this man had known his brother, even if it was briefly, gave him the little nudge he needed to dust off the old papers and pick up the books he had been keeping only to himself.

Since then, Kyungsoo has been an absolute mess. He really wants to impress Heechul, not only for the sake of his research, but for his brother’s memory as well. 

Kyungsoo goes to rub his face, panicking when he almost bends his cover letter. He hardly has time to check it for creases again, though, because suddenly he hears boisterous laughing from the front. He turns, getting up suddenly and freezing when he nearly knocks over the table. He catches his empty wine glass just before it falls, ignoring the waitress across the room staring at him.

He had been waiting for this moment for _weeks_. 

And what follows is certainly something he had not been expecting. 

A group of people walk in. Kyungsoo’s first thought when he sees them is ‘ _holy shit, i’m going to die_ ’. They are big, sturdy men, all wearing matching black suits with wires attached to their ears and sunglasses covering their eyes. A thought occurs to him that Heechul may very well be the President of South Korea. Kyungsoo hasn’t really checked the news lately, so it could be true for all he knows. 

Then again, he thinks back to the other’s email and how his username is heechoass@gmail.com. So probably not.

The man in the middle of that frightening formation looks nothing like a President. In fact, he kind of looks like a surfer. 

He isn’t particularly tall, and he isn't particularly big. In fact, he’s pretty skinny and tiny, as far as Kyungsoo can tell from afar- at least judging by the skinny legs showing below the knee-length shorts. He’s wearing sunglasses too, and his blond hair is sticking out to the sides in waves. There is a disturbingly wide smile on his face as he approaches him. 

His arms widen the closer he gets, and Kyungsoo feels his eyebrows rising higher on his forehead with every passing millisecond. 

“Kyungsoo! You made it!” the man says and before Kyungsoo can even assess the situation, he’s being pulled in a rather familial hug. 

There goes his wrinkle-free cover letter. 

Kyungsoo doesn’t really know what to do with his arms. He’s so taken aback that by the time he decides to maybe awkwardly pat this man’s back in return to acknowledge his greeting, the other lets go of him and steps back. 

He reaches up to pull the sunglasses down his nose and he smiles again, fondly looking at Kyungsoo as he blindly reaches to the side and tucks the sunglasses into one of the security guards’ front pockets. 

“Ah!” His eyes light up, but he doesn’t step away from Kyungsoo’s personal space. “Sorry, you probably really don’t remember me, right?”

“I-”

“Kim Heechul!” Heechul doesn’t even wait for Kyungsoo to take his outstretched hand, just grabbing it himself in a vice grip. Kyungsoo’s smile turns a little desperate when he starts to lose blood circulation to his fingers as Heechul shakes it proudly. “I’d give you the whole spiel of my successes but that would be unnecessary. Besides, we’re here today to talk about _your_ successes.” 

One of the security guards suddenly hands Kyungsoo a business card. He only has a few seconds to read ‘ _CEO_ ’ before it’s yanked from his hands by Heechul himself, he only throws it behind him.

“Sorry, they’re used to a certain protocol with meetings like this.” Heechul says that, before briefly turning his head to the side. “Go take a lap.” 

Kyungsoo blinks when those massive men immediately step back and beeline out of the restaurant. Heechul turns to look at him again, then, with that same unbothered, bright smile and a rather disturbing glint in his eyes. “R-Right.”

“What are you doing standing around so awkwardly? Sit, sit! Why is your glass empty?” Kyungsoo is about to answer, barely even having time to breathe before Heechul is speaking again. “No, no. These glasses are for wine anyway. Excuse me? Could we have two cosmos please?”

“Right away, sir.” 

Kyungsoo is startled by the sudden presence of the waitress, mouth just opening and closing as she walks away. “I… uh?”

“More of a margarita type of guy? I like your style, kid. Excuse me-”

“No!” Heechul pauses, looking at him. Kyungsoo takes a breath. “I-It’s fine. I’ll drink anything, honestly. Uhm…”

He looks down at his briefcase, swallowing hard. When he looks back up at Heechul, he sees his face has softened.

“That’s your brother’s, isn’t it? I remember him lugging that ugly thing around.” Heechul smiles.

Kyungsoo shifts in his seat then, nodding slowly. He curiously eyes the man sitting across the table. He feels how tense his shoulders are, and all the questions he had prepared before are now slowly evaporating from his mind as he simply blinks at Heechul.

“You seem to have known my brother really well.” 

“I dare say.” 

“May I ask how?” 

“That old tosser. He really never talked about me?!” Heechul heaves a dramatic sigh, slumping back in the chair. “Your brother was a very ambitious young man and I was- and still am- a very young, very handsome man who recognizes that ambition and sees the potential in it.” 

Kyungsoo is about to fire about a thousand more questions when something shifts in Kim Heechul’s eyes, and he looks at him again. He looks almost… guilty.

“That is also the reason I asked you to come here tonight, Kyungsoo.” 

Kyungsoo waits for the other to elaborate, but when he doesn’t, he clears his throat. “That… was another question I had. Why did you ask for me in the first place?”

Heechul sighs, not even reaching for his drink he ordered when it arrives. He gathers his thoughts. “Because this young, very handsome man before you was once very ignorant.”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow…”

“Your brother had a dream once,” Heechul says and looks at him pointily. Kyungsoo feels himself sitting up straighter. He knows of that dream his brother once had. “He came to me with that dream back in the day. When he had first found hard evidence of… your _lost world_ for lack of better words…”

Kyungsoo can already feel his breath hitching at the mere mention of the past. 

“He had bold ideas, and even bolder plans. I liked that he was so set on it. I could see the fire in his eyes whenever he talked about it,” Heechul leans over the table. “It was a very risky setup, but even when I refused to fund his expedition, he did not stop. He did not take no for an answer. So I helped him find the best possible team instead, and I helped him with my connections to get investors.” 

Kyungsoo sits quietly in front of the man as he takes a deep breath and shines him a very sad smile.

“Not a day has passed that I don’t regret it all,” Heechul sighs out. “I was younger then, and I was impulsive. His propositions were exciting, they were revolutionary. And all I kept thinking about was how great it would be to have my name up there when they were to come back.” 

There is bitterness spreading in Kyungsoo’s mouth now, and he looks down at his hands. 

“I was too foolish to realize that his dreams were too big for what he received. Too advanced for what he was given to work with. I regret not doing more.” Heechul seems like he’s trying to gather himself. “That foolish mistake cost hundreds of lives. And that is a weight I can never lift off my shoulders.” 

Kyungsoo reaches up to hook a finger under his tie. He pulls on it slightly. He is suddenly suffocating. 

“This is why I asked you to come here today. Because that weight is simply unbearable.” Heechul brings his hands together and there is a sharper look to his eyes now, a rather dedicated one. “Your brother had a dream and I intend to make that dream come true. I will not make the same mistakes again. I can at least try to clear my conscience.” 

Kyungsoo’s mouth feels dry as those clever eyes never leave him. He reaches out hastily to grab the cosmo that had been ordered for him and he takes a brave sip. Then another. 

His mouth still feels dry, and Kim Heechul is still looking at him. Even when he sets down the cocktail back on the table. 

“When your people came to me first, they mentioned something-” 

“I’d hope so.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyebrow tick at the calm of the man in front of him, who is still so casually sitting and vaguely smiling at him. 

“You are interested in funding another expedition to find Atlantis.” 

“That is absolutely incorrect,” Heechul says and Kyungsoo feels his shoulders slumping. He tries not to let his disappointment show, but it’s hard. The man in front of him simply takes another sip of his drink, looking completely unbothered. He gives him a small smile when he looks up again. “I have _already_ funded another expedition to find Atlantis.” 

Kyungsoo blinks, heart in his throat now. “I’m sorry. I’m a bit confused.”

“Do tell.” Heechul is smirking at him now, eyes twinkling. He is resting his chin on his palm, almost rocking back and forth. 

“If you already have an expedition funded, why am I here?” 

“Because we need your research, Kyungsoo.” 

He hears the breath leaving his lips harshly before he even feels the pang in his chest. _What?_

Kyungsoo doesn’t want to believe Heechul only called him here to be a consultant of some sort, someone that just sits on the sidelines and hands over their research without a care. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s been asked this. 

Even if Heechul offered him all of the money in the world, he wouldn’t give up a single page of his work. His entire career has been based on his research. His work on proving the existence of Atlantis is his _life_. 

Heechul never once looks away from Kyungsoo’s suspicious gaze. Kyungsoo should feel intimidated, but at this point he’s starting to not care.

“We have extensive technology, clearances from higher government agencies to conduct our research in international waters. We have the smartest minds in the world packing their bags, ready to set out on my word. But we’re missing one thing. Your research.”

Kyungsoo’s jaw tightens, hands balling into fists now. “I assure you that _my work_ is not for sale, and will not be a part of your expedition despite-”

Heechul suddenly laughs now, effectively shutting Kyungsoo up for a moment despite the raging fire within him. He looks at the man across from him, a little disturbed at how much he sounds like a madman laughing like this. He’s loud, hitting the table over and over.

“Oh my god. No, no. That’s not what I’m trying to say here.” Heechul wipes a tear from his eye, calming down now. He dons a more serious expression, leaning over the table a little. “We need your research, yes, but that research is useless without the expert on the matter, right?”

He waits for Kyungsoo to answer, but once again he is stunned into silence.

_Just like this?_

“What I’m saying is, we need _you_. I am convinced that without you and your expansive knowledge, this mission will fail.” Heechul sips his cosmo, smiling afterward. “Besides, none of the others can read gibberish quite like you can.”

Did Kim Heechul just call his livelihood gibberish? 

He sure as hell did, and Kyungsoo sure as hell does not care. 

He doesn’t even realize he is leaning forward, almost standing up at this point. 

“Are you being serious right now?” 

Heechul’s lip twists into a little half-smile as he brings his hands together over the table. 

“We have better technology than we did last time. And your research, it is much broader than that of your brother. You picked up where he left it off, so you _know_ more,” the man says, giving him a hard look. “I am hopeful. And yes, as serious as I can get.”

Kyungsoo takes in everything being thrown at him in this moment. He runs a hand through his hair, unable to stop the grin threatening to break out on his lips. He laughs to himself, it bubbling up in his throat as he feels his eyes start to become glazed with tears.

Never in his life did he think he would actually be here, in this moment. It’s _overwhelming_ , and his mind is going a thousand miles per minute as he thinks of his pages upon pages of research.

“We’re going to need an ecologist… I have work that I can share with them that may be able to help pinpoint where we should head- Oh! And a cartographer. Although I could fulfill that role quite easily since I know these maps like the back of my hand. Perhaps someone who has extensive knowledge in oceanography and marine biology. Ah! We’ll also need a-”

“Kyungsoo,” Heechul interrupts, clearly amused. “The team has already been set. All we’re missing is one last member, and that’s you.”

Kyungsoo slumps back in the chair. He still can’t wipe the smile off of his face, probably looking like a child about to open his presents up on Christmas morning. “Right. Sorry.”

“So?”

Kyungsoo’s heart skips a beat as he looks up at Heechul. 

“Are you coming with us?”

There is no other answer in his mind.

He _has_ to go.

For his brother. For himself. 

Kyungsoo gives the other man a determined look.

“Count me in.”


	2. Chapter 1

“Magnetic North affects the formation of rocks on the seafloor because of their trace amounts of magnetic elements like iron that are found within them. Oceanic crust forms from diverging plates so when Magnetic north is reversed, these rocks-”

Kyungsoo sighs to himself as he sips his coffee. Jongdae sits next to him, taking proper notes as Baekhyun drones on and on in his lecture. 

It’s been nearly two months since they had begun their journey, and nearly three months since Heechul had first approached him about his offer. 

Kyungsoo had been very eager to leave as soon as possible once he had signed all of the necessary paperwork and confirmed to Heechul that he would be going. However, as he should have expected, scientific journeys like this don’t just begin overnight. A month of preparations were still needed even after Kyungsoo had been onboarded for the whole program.

The huge submersible they would all be travelling on was massive, and Heechul made sure all of the engineers that had created it were running test after test to make sure nothing would fail during their voyage. During that, Kyungsoo was busy briefing and being briefed by other team members that would be joining him on this voyage. Most were archaeologists or historians like himself, but many were much older than him and usually did not take his points and comments as seriously as they should. Because of that, Kyungsoo never really grew close with them despite how often he would see them.

It wasn’t until the submersible was ready did Kyungsoo meet others participating in the expedition as well. Once the ship was off and the excitement of  _ finally  _ being able to try to accomplish what he always thought would only be a dream wore off, Kyungsoo found himself wandering the submersible aimlessly for something to do. He eventually ran into a small group that would eventually become his closest friends on the journey. 

Junmyeon was a doctor that Kyungsoo found out was actually a highly trained specialist for infectious diseases, but says he was also brought on as a general doctor to take care of the crew if they need it. Kyungsoo sometimes attends his first aid classes when he can. He likes being around Junmyeon because he’s usually pretty quiet and is very sweet with whoever he speaks to.

Jongdae and Baekhyun, however, are the opposite.

Jongdae is a very cheeky guy equipped with one liners that could roast any man and is only about a year older than Kyungsoo. He’s apparently one of the engineers that helped build the submersible, and is head of his team during the expedition. He deals largely with the advanced technology inside, to which Kyungsoo said made him the ‘ _ computer nerd _ ’ and Jongdae had looked at him as if he had offended his entire existence. In turn, Jongdae had mentioned how both of them speak different languages and before Kyungsoo could state that computer coding is not a language, Jongdae hit him with a quick ‘ _ but at least not all the people that understand my language are dead.” _ To which Kyungsoo thought of every curse he could think of in old norse and latin.

As for Baekhyun, well.

Kyungsoo still isn’t so sure what Baekhyun’s job here even is, all he knows is he has three degrees too many for Kyungsoo to ever remember properly. The other man had rattled off something about Zoology, Botany, and Ecology or something to that effect. When Kyungsoo had questioned him why he bothered with so many different subjects, Baekhyun’s answer was just a simple “ _ I couldn’t pick one so I just did them all _ ”. Kyungsoo soon learned that his dead panned expression he had in response to the other man would end up being his default look anytime the other is around. 

Baekhyun is full of snide comments and likes to test Kyungsoo’s patience on almost every occasion they are together, but Kyungsoo has learned that that’s just how the other man is. In fact, it’s almost comforting to have someone like Baekyun to bicker with when usually he feels so alone if he is on his own. Baekhyun seems to be the same way, because eventually he somehow bribed Kyungsoo’s bunkmates to trade rooms with him and the others Kyungsoo hangs around. Now they all have their own shared space and it takes a load off of Kyungsoo’s shoulders considering how suffocating it can be when Kyungsoo has to deal with stuffy old men all day that don’t ever take him seriously. 

Now Junmyeon and Jongdae share the bunk beside him, and Baekhyun sleeps above his bed. Yixing is another member of their little gang that joined in after Jongdae had introduced him one day as they were all eating lunch. He sleeps on the extra mattress closer to the door of their little room. As Kyungsoo grew closer with him, he found out he was another head engineer just like Jongdae, but only has the rep of being the ‘ _ radar guy _ ’ since that’s his job when he isn’t on break or sleeping for the night.

They all got along really well and Kyungsoo is very grateful because that made time passing a lot easier. However, that is all Kyungsoo can think about these days.

Time.

He’s not a child. He is very well-aware that expeditions like theirs take  _ time _ . They’re looking for Atlantis for God’s sake, but Kyungsoo is getting anxious and impatient with each day that stretches on into the next.

He just wishes endlessly to see something that would signify they’re at least on the right track. According to all of Kyungsoo’s research, they’re in the right area, but the ocean is nothing but a dark abyss and the deeper they go, the less they seem to find.

Just more rocks and plants, which means more lectures by Baekhyun. 

“As you can see, the patterns within the igneous rocks match with the patterns of Magnetic North. Without proper carbon dating we can’t be sure but this is great news considering the idea that the island or continent of Atlantis is similarly dated. Unless Atlantis happens to be formed from a hot spot and slowly turned into an atoll, we should be on the right track.”

There’s a loud clattering sound from the opposite side of the table and Kyungsoo blinks up to see Junmyeon had dropped his pen with a softly irritated expression. The usually very composed and kind doctor is now staring at Baekhyun with a very deep crease between his eyebrows, obviously unable to keep up with the terms of the oceanographer. 

“Speak human, please.” 

Baekhyun’s hand flew up to rub at the back of his nape. He seems tired. A quiet groan escaped his lips, followed by a blank stare and a deadpan: 

“Old rocks. We’re getting there.” 

Kyungsoo throws a quick glance around the table. Most of the people attending seem either way too tired or way too bored. Maybe even both. 

Jongdae’s diligent notes, he realizes, are anything but diligent. A quick look towards his notebook confirms it - it’s now filled with bad sketches of Pokemon. 

Baekhyun’s voice turns into a buzzing background noise as Kyungsoo rests his chin on his hand and tries his best to stay focused on the unclear images on the large monitor behind Baekhyun, the real-life footage of the cameras installed at the front of the submersible. The projectors illuminate the oceanic plate, the rocks and the plants that keep mocking them day after day.

Hie eyelids feel way too heavy and he is barely even keeping his eyes on those swaying seaweeds when the projectors move to illuminate another corner of the ocean depths in front of them. 

It’s just a bunch of rocks, once again. But it is not the rocks that catch his attention, per say. It’s something he sees for a brief second, something that has him straightening up in his seat and furrowing his eyebrows. He is suddenly very much awake, fingers gripping around the handle of his coffee cup. 

“Hold on,” Kyungsoo interrupts and the legs of his chair scrape against the floor when he pushes it back to stand up. Baekhyun is blinking at him in mostly confusion when Kyungsoo rounds the table to get closer to the monitor. He stands right in front of it, effectively blocking everybody’s view. 

He squints at the display of the obsidian colored rocks.

Maybe he’s just imagining it. Maybe it’s the exhaustion creeping through his veins and messing with his mind. Or maybe it is the built-up anxiety from all the days that had passed and the worry of all the days to come. 

It’s just wishful thinking, he reckons as he feels his shoulders slumping when he begins to give up.

He purses his lips, intently staring at the monitor still. Just old rocks, various plants situated among the rock formations. No animals in sight. Nothing but absolute darkness. 

And then he sees it again for the fraction of a second - a silver shine on the surfaces of one of the rocks. Faint, short, almost non-existent, but it catches the light of the submersible that shines on it briefly.

“ _ There _ !!” he bellows as soon as he sees the flash of silver, finger flying out to point exactly where it had just been. “Look at those rocks!” 

“That’s what I’ve been doing for the past three hours! These are the rocks we’ve been-” 

Kyungsoo just shushes Baekhyun, eyes still trained on the closest rock. His fingers are lying flat against the TV screen. The lights from the submersible are still shining down just enough for him to see.

There it is.

His heart skips a beat when he takes in the small symbol engraved in the stone - barely visible in the darkness, under the sediment that had settled over the surface of the rock. Baekhyun is suddenly stuck to his side, cheek nearly against his as he tries to see it as well. He stiffens when the light suddenly disappears, moving elsewhere as the submersible turns in its course.

Both of them look at each other for the briefest moments, Kyungsoo’s eyes widen. Time slows down as Kyungsoo’s gaze goes from Baekhyun, to the door at the end of the room.

He hardly even registers that he runs for the door, barely breathing as he sprints down the halls. He tries to be gentle as he pushes people out of the way, but he needs to get to the main cockpit quickly. He can hear his heartbeat in his ears as he rounds each corner, looking like an absolute madman as he slides into the main control room. Somewhere behind him, he thinks he hears Baekyun, Junmyeon, and Jongdae slide to a stop.

“Kyungsoo,” Junmyeon starts to say, but Kyungsoo ignores him.

“You need to go back to where we just were. Right now!” His voice is loud, demanding even. A few of the crew members look at him, a little bewildered. 

“Mr. Do, we’re already steering towards another course laid out by one of the other archaeologists-”

“I saw something!” Kyungsoo yells, stunning everyone in the room into silence. “So go back right now!”

Everyone sits there in shock, their minds reeling. Behind him, Jongdae sighs in frustration.

“For fuck’s sake.” Jongdae marches past Kyungsoo, moving one of the active crew members aside and typing furiously into the computer. Kyungsoo walks over, seeing him inputting various coding into the system. Junmyeon grips Kyungsoo’s shoulder when he nearly falls over from the force of the submersible stopping itself. There’s a large humming heard throughout the entire ship, and Kyungsoo lets out a breath of relief when he sees the familiar rock formations again. 

He smiles at Jongdae for a second, going back to the middle of the control room and staring out through the observation window at the front. Jongdae throws a few orders around, Yixing there on duty and helping him turn on brighter spotlights. They scan the area, and Kyungsoo doesn’t think he’s breathing.

“It wasn’t here. More towards the left. These rock formations weren’t even in view-  _ Here _ .”

Baekhyun’s voice is drowned out as Kyungsoo’s heart pounds. He stares at the black rocks, eyes desperately scanning them all until finally he catches the same glint of silver as before. It’s so quiet in the room, you could hear a pin drop.

Kyungsoo smiles, eyes feeling like they’re tearing up.

“There it is,” he whispers. His eyes widen, panicking as he looks around him. “M-My book. Where is my-”

Junmyeon hands it to him carefully, giving him an excited look. “I grabbed it when you ran out.”

Kyungsoo thanks him quietly, quick to open it. He flips through the pages, eyes scanning over each page filled with a combination of his horrible handwritten notes and various pictures pasted inside. Everyone watches, waiting with bated breath.

“Come on, I know it’s here,” he mutters to himself, pausing when he finally finds it. Baekhyun and Junmyeon peek over his shoulder, Jongdae not even bothering to give him personal space as he just suddenly presses himself to Kyungsoo’s side.

It’s a perfect match.

His hand drawn symbol looks a tad bit messier than the one in the hidden beneath the sediment, but it’s a  _ match _ . 

“Holy fuck,” Baekhyun says, and Kyungsoo can’t help but to agree.

Jongdae looks to one of the crew members beside Yixing. “Krystal, activate the sweeper. We need to get a clearer picture.”

Kyungsoo panics, but Baekhyun beats him to the punch.

“No! Stop!” Baekhyun looks at Jongdae in alarm. “If you kick up the sediment we won’t see shit for  _ days _ until it settles again!”

“Relax,” Jongdae says. “You think we didn’t think of this?! Yixing and his team developed smaller, remote controlled bots to swim out and collect samples. It won’t disturb much, don’t worry.”

Kyungsoo relaxes a little at that, eyes still practically glued to the observation deck window. 

“Sweeper deployed,” someone says, and suddenly a little bot comes into view. The observation decks monitors tune into the camera mounted within the bot, and Kyungsoo suddenly feels like crying again when he sees the symbol up close.

The sweeper gently glides over it, as if rubbing away the thin sediment collected over it. The silver glint is shining brightly now, and Kyungsoo feels so overwhelmed at just the sight alone. Junmyeon pats his back, and Kyungsoo beams up at him, looking back to the screens.

“What does it mean?” Junmyeon asks quietly. “The symbol.”

Kyungsoo looks down at his book, finger pointing to his notes. “It means to protect.”

Junmyeon laughs incredulously and Kyungsoo joins in. “God… We really found something.”

Everyone around them cheers, excitement buzzing in the air because finally after months of not getting anything, they found something physical. 

Baekhyun is the only one not celebrating, though. His brows are furrowed as he steps a little closer, raising his voice to speak over the others in the room.

“Wait… Can it keep sweeping?”

Jongdae nods, looking down at the crew member controlling it. Everyone watches as the tiny bot glides ever so slowly through the water, wiping away sediment inch by inch. Kyungsoo’s heart is in his throat when more symbols glint in the light as the robot keeps moving, symbols Kyungsoo has never seen in his life.

None of these even match the lectures he’s sat through in the past two months.

These are all completely new, and if it wasn’t for Baekhyun’s extreme hesitance, he would be jumping up and down with excitement. Because the robot keeps moving endlessly, more and more symbols showing as the spotlight moves in a snake light pattern with it.

“Any of those look familiar?” a man’s voice resounds around in the silence, and Kyungsoo recognizes it as that of one of the archeologists. He doesn’t turn to acknowledge the question, eyes just trained on the orderly symbols appearing on the surface of the black rock. 

They don’t really look like anything he has seen before. In fact, the more that is revealed and the longer he looks, they start reminding him of patterns from different folklores in most distant corners of the world. 

It looks more like thousands of tiny drawings instead of a written language, but then he notices something else. What he originally interpreted as symbols at first, he realizes are actually some sort of cracks in the material of the rock. However, rather than all of the examples of igneous rocks that Baekhyun had shown in his lectures- where the cracks had been random and not at all symmetrical- these look like they were made  _ on purpose _ .

“But for what?” Kyungsoo mutters to himself, in his own little world as others around him talk adamantly among themselves.

“What’s wrong?” Jongdae suddenly asks beside him, staring at him in worry. “Why do you look so troubled?”

“It’s just… the markings. The ones below those symbols there,” Kyungsoo says, pointing. “They don’t look natural.”

“They kind of remind me of tribal markings I’ve seen in cultures in Africa or India,” Jongdae says, grinning when Kyungsoo gives him a surprised look. “History minor, remember?”

“Right… But why leave them  _ here _ ?”

“It could be ruins of a temple of sorts. I mean, there are plenty of cultures that put their temples farther away from their civilization. Sometimes they’re even used as gateways to cities.” Jongdae shrugs, directing his gaze towards the man controlling the bot. “Increase intensity by ten percent and switch to circular strokes. We need clearer images.” 

Kyungsoo nods, fascinated now the longer he stares at the magnificent sight in front of him. He smiles at the little bot momentarily halting before starting to move a little faster. It seems to move too fast for a moment, like the person controlling it made it turn too sharply. Kyungsoo cringes when it runs head on into the symbols instead of gliding over them, but nothing seems damaged so he relaxes. He chuckles at the curses he hears from the crew member controlling it, watching as the bot goes back to sweeping away the settled sediment like before.

“You know, this means we’re getting closer,” he gushes excitedly. “If there are ruins here, it means we’re getting closer to where the entire city once stood.”

Baekhyun, though, still looks entirely too concerned for his liking.

“Guys, something isn’t right about this.” Junmyeon hushes him softly, telling him to lower his voice. Baekhyun shakes his head. “No, something is  _ really  _ not right here.”

Kyungsoo and Jongdae look at him, and Kyungsoo is surprised to see how uncomfortable the other man looks. Somewhere off to the side, he hears Yixing gasp but he doesn’t bother to look, too focused on Baekhyun.

“Baekhyun, what are you talking about?” Kyungsoo asks.

“It’s just… Doesn’t this all seem a little strange to you?”

“Jongdae,” Yixing says in the background.

Jongdae ignores him.

“Spit it out, rock man. What’s got your panties in a twist?” Jongdae asks point blank.

What surprises Kyungsoo is that Baekhyun doesn’t even have a remark for that, just continuing to look out the observation window with a concerned expression.

“The rocks look too smooth to be down here.” 

“Jongdae.” Yixing’s voice sounds a little strained this time, and Kyungsoo glances at him for a moment.

“Well no shit. We already established that they were put here.” 

“Yes, but that’s exactly what I’m saying. If they were  _ put here _ that means that was thousands and thousands of years ago.” Baekhyun pauses, brow furrowed. Junmyeon blinks at him. “That means-”

“There should be more sediment,” Kyungsoo says breathlessly, eyes widening. He feels his heart constricting in his chest.

“I’m still lost,” Jongdae says bluntly.

“Look, computer nerd,” Baekhyun snaps. “When things like this are at the bottom of the ocean there is a certain wear and tear to them. But this is smooth, and those cracks that Kyungsoo mentioned haven’t even chipped away like they should have during their time when they were still exposed to elements on land-”

“Jongdae.”

“- and now we’re dealing with another problem because there have been volcanoes in this area in recent history. That means volcanic ash that should have fallen to the seafloor. Everything else is absolutely smothered in it, but not  _ this _ .”

Jongdae’s mouth opens and closes, obviously at a loss for words.

“You  _ guys _ .”

“ _ What _ , Yixing?” Jongdae finally answers, voice exasperated.

“You should come check this out,” the engineer says while pushing his chair back from the radar monitors, freeing up some space for all the scientists that immediately scramble around him. 

Kyungsoo peers down at the green screens, seeing the blinking red dot that signifies where they are at the moment. Everything else looks confusing to him. He can’t really tell what the different shades of green on the screen signify. 

There is, however, a darker mass of green around their submersible. But when he hears Jongdae let out a breath, practically lying down on the desk in order to see the monitors better, he knows that something must be wrong. 

“What is that?” Junmyeon asks from somewhere behind them, and Kyungsoo just steps away so he can get a better look. Kyungsoo glances around at the other crew mates, them all not even paying them any mind at the moment as some of the archaeologists furiously write down the symbols they’re seeing in their notebooks.

“I don’t know. It could be an electromagnetic interference of some sort,” Yixing shoots Jongdae a quick look, turning some of the knobs simultaneously. “Did you check the antennas today?” 

“Did the fucking sun rise in the east?” 

Kyungsoo moves back away from the engineers and away from all those people swarmed against them. Instead, he nears the glass of the observation deck. Only Baekhyun is still standing there, with a concerned grimace pulling on his lips. He looks a little pale now as he glances to Kyungsoo.

“Kyungsoo… How many years do you think that sediment accumulated for?” Kyungsoo blinks, not liking the way Baekhyun is looking at him. “Because to me… it looks like ten years, tops.”

Kyungsoo can barely process what Baekhyun is saying, trying to understand why that would be significant in this moment. But then he remembers the phone call he had gotten in the middle of the night almost exactly ten years ago, having to console his mother as she cried through the night, attending the funeral a few days later and having to watch his parents carry an empty urn to bury. Kyungsoo feels his eyes sting with tears at the realization, heart constricting in his chest.

“Somebody turn on the damn telecom,” he hears Jongdae bellowing from the back. “Put it on the loudspeaker.” 

He’s just about to ask Baekhyun what all this could possibly mean when a loud and sharp sound resounds around the entire submersible the moment Yixing flicks a switch. It is so loud and sudden that it makes the hairs on the back of Kyungsoo’s neck stand up. It sounds almost like a wail, a deep and animalistic one, echoing inside the submersible as it is being blasted through the loudspeakers of the radar’s telecom. 

Baekhyun is looking around frantically, hands secure around the railing, his eyes scanning the dark waters in front of them. Kyungsoo blinks as the sound becomes louder, with a reverb almost. It cuts off sporadically, though, as if it is moving. 

“Uh, Baekhyun?” Jongdae is the first one to straighten up. The zoologist looks at him with widened eyes. “Are there such things as demonic whales because that’s exactly what this sounds like.” 

The sound fades a little and Kyungsoo realizes he’s been holding his breath for a solid minute. He looks around cautiously. 

“It could have been an interference,” Yixing suggests, furiously typing something in the command prompt of the radars. 

“An interference?!” one of the other archeologists scoffs. “We’re over a thousand meters deep in the ocean. What could  _ possibly  _ interfere?” 

“Nothing alive. Nothing that  _ big _ ,” Baekhyun clicks his tongue, looking increasingly alarmed. There is no trace of the playful bickering and jabs Kyungsoo had gotten so used to in the past two months.    
  


“Maybe the parabolic reflector of the antenna got damaged,” Yixing shrugs, standing up from the chair. “I’ll go check on it again, just in case.” 

“Is it just me,” Junmyeon says, voice very alarmed now. “Or are those symbols  _ glowing _ ?”

There is an eerie hush that comes over everyone in the room as the symbols start to glow brightly, now a glacier blue rather than silver like before. Suddenly, another watery screech comes through the loudspeakers and Kyungsoo grabs onto Baekhyun beside him when the sediment around the symbols start to kick up. He watches in horror as  _ something _ starts to move, the glowing symbols moving as well.

“Back us up,” Jongdae says, voice small. He looks to his crew piloting the submersible, screaming now. “ _ Back us up!! _ ”

The crew scrambles to do so, and Kyungsoo can’t take his eyes off of the sight in front of him as the submersible suddenly jerks back. Most nearly fall over from the force, but luckily Kyungsoo is stabilized by Baekhyun’s death grip on the bar in front of him. 

Now that they’re farther up, the glowing symbols disappear within the cloud of kicked up sediment from the ocean floor. It’s silent as no one breathes’ waiting anxiously.

That’s when they hear it again.

That awful screech.

But before Kyungsoo can even react, he sees a flash of the glowing symbols through the cloud at the bottom. The next moment,  _ something _ emerges, and all Kyungsoo can process in that moment is the sight of a wide mouth lined with sharp teeth coming straight for them.

No one even has time to scream because the thing scrapes against the entire side of the submersible, cracking the double sided glass. The sound of scraping metal fills his ears and the moment it stops, alarms start to blare throughout the entire ship. The voices of the frantic crew are the only thing Kyungsoo can process now.

“The left hull is completely offline!”

“Switch propellers! Pull us back!” Jongdae is screaming, fingers pointing towards the controls at the front of the deck.”Top reverse speed! Change the course once we’re far enough from that thing.” 

“Our left propeller is damaged! The system isn’t responding to any commands.”

“Then use the emergency one!” Jongdae sounds pissed off and frantic, moving the guy aside and inputting the proper commands himself. The guy says something about having to drive the system manually and Jongdae just ignores him, doing everything himself.

Suddenly the submersible jerks again, and Kyungsoo watches as it backs up farther and farther until the ground is nowhere in sight. Jongdae turns off the flood lights, keying in more codes afterwards. He mutters to Yixing, the other man helping him on another computer system. Suddenly the entire submersible goes dark, only a few red lights remaining on.

“We’re completely dark now,” Jongdae says, voice strained. “Nothing should see us.”

“Yeah, and we can’t see anything either,” Krystal says pointily, staring out into the complete darkness. 

Junmyeon looks at Baekhyun wildly. “What the fuck was that thing?”

Everyone turns to the zoologist, waiting for an answer. Baekhyun flusters.

“How am I supposed to know?! My three degrees didn’t prepare me for this!”

“Shut up. Keep screaming like that and that thing might just hear you.” Jongdae glares at him, before turning to Kyungsoo. “And  _ you _ . Would you care to elaborate what the fuck is even going on here?” 

“Well,” Kyungsoo breathes in deeply, unsure of where to start. He has an idea. A disturbingly alarming one as he tries to flip through his journal. “According to one account, Atlantians were given a gift by the go-” 

His sentence gets cut off by the submersible violently shaking. It’s hard and sudden, followed by another blood-curdling screech resounding through the telecom. He hears many of the crew members exclaiming in surprise, seeing some of them losing their balance at the sudden push. 

“I think it can still see us,” Yixing mumbles somewhere among the chaos and Kyungsoo feels his breath hitching when those glowing symbols come into view again. 

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock,” Jongdae turns to look at everybody with a deep scowl on his face. “This is code red! Follow protocol and escape to the pods!”

The chaos that ensues on the observation deck is unbelievable as people scramble to escape as fast as possible. Yixing slams his hand on the large, red button in the middle of the dashboard and the emergency lights come to life, illuminating the escape routes.

“In an orderly fashion,  _ please _ ,” he hears a loud, female voice say.

He begins to tremble as he slowly assesses the situation. They had just encountered the first sign, the first proof of Atlantis’ existence, yet not even minutes later they are trying to run away from it because it’s trying to  _ kill them _ .   
  


“What are you waiting for?!” Jongdae appears before him and Baekhyun, reaching to grab for their elbows. He yanks them forward. “Without you two we’re all fucked, so  _ move it.”  _

Junmyeon and Yixing are right behind them as Jongdae leads them out. There’s another sudden jerk to the submersible, and Kyungsoo cries out as he falls and lands harshly on his ankle. Someone helps him up, and when he looks up he sees it’s a member of the security team. He had met her briefly before the expedition began.

Seulgi gives him and the others a serious look. “Everyone is going for the closest pods. Come with us, we’ll bring you to the ones farther in the back. We’ll all be able to fit in them.”

Kyungsoo sees another member of the security team helping Baekhyun up. Joohyun, if he remembers correctly.

Jongdae nods, yelling over the blaring alarm. “Just hurry! We don’t have much time! We can’t assess the damage but it isn’t looking good.”

Seulgi nods, helping support Kyungsoo over her shoulder when she notices him limping. 

It’s all a complete blur as they desperately run to the emergency pods. They go through hallway after hallway, and Kyungsoo is so happy to have someone that knows the inner workings of the submersible because he would have been lost ages ago. There’s hardly anyone in this area now, so he can think a little more clearly. He is holding on to his book for dear life.

“Are we close?” he asks and Seulgi nods. 

“Down this hall, and to the right we should-”

Seulgi cuts herself off when she suddenly steps and the sound of sloshing water fills the hall. Everyone looks down, seeing sea water start to wet their shoes.

“Oh fuck,” Yixing says. “This is bad. This is really  _ really _ bad.”

“Alright, hurry it up,” Jongdae says, grabbing Kyungsoo from Seulgi now, practically dragging him down the hall with how fast he’s running. Kyungsoo looks back, making sure everyone else is close behind. With every step they take, the level of the freezing water is rising. Baekhyun looks so pale now. He doesn’t even need to throw scientific facts at them for everybody to know the situation is really critical. The entire wing of the submersible would be filled with water in  _ minutes _ . 

They make it to the room with the pods soon after that, Jongdae helping lower Kyungsoo in as gently as he can and everyone else cramming in directly after. The water level is rising now, but the moment Jongdae seals the pod, Kyungsoo can breathe a sigh of relief.

“Everyone strap in,” Joohyun orders as Yixing and Jongdae immediately settle in the pilot seats. 

Kyungsoo’s hands are so shaky he can hardly buckle the safety straps. Junmyeon leans over to help him, softly telling Kyungsoo to breathe. It’s then that he realizes that he’s hyperventilating, but he doesn’t seem to be alone. Baekhyun sits across from them, holding his head and trying to calm himself as well

“Releasing the pod in three seconds. Clear to engage?”

“You’re clear.”

“Dropping the charging mechanisms. Preparing to launch.”

Jongdae and Yixing’s voices are loud, and distracting enough for Kyungsoo to focus on. He holds his book close to his chest as the pod is released from the submersible, causing them to fall through a chamber and shoot out into the open water. 

Kyungsoo watches in horror as they pull away from their submersible, seeing the  _ thing _ tearing away at it with its powerful jaws. He can see the entire length of it now, glowing bright from the symbols and the cracks Kyungsoo had noticed before. The breast is like that of a serpent, wrapping around the entire submersible and squeezing it in a vice grip.

Kyungsoo sees its glowing blue eyes, and feels fear strike him to his very core.

“Pod 3142, can you hear us?”

Another staticy voice comes through on the radio. Yixing picks up the transmitter, speaking into it. “We hear you loud and clear.”

“The others have gone ahead, but our pod’s navigational system was damaged and we can’t put it on autopilot. We’re going to have to follow you.” The other pod comes into view now and Kyungsoo is relieved to see others made it out just fine as well.

“Roger that,” Yixing says. “We need you to tune your systems to our frequency so they can sync.”

“Yes, sir.” The voice goes silent for a moment and they all wait for their confirmation. Suddenly, though, someone in the other pod switches on their bright flood lights, and Kyungsoo’s stomach drops.

“You have  _ got  _ to be kidding me,” Jongdae hisses the moment the massive head of the creature turns in their direction. Something in those blue eyes narrows and Kyungsoo suddenly feels like he’s looking death straight in the eye. That thing is gazing straight at them now, and judging by the way its body shifts and moves, it is ready to lunge towards them. 

“Mayday! Mayday!” the static screech of the people from the other pod comes through a little distorted. “It saw us!” 

“TURN OFF YOUR FUCKING LIGHTS!” Jongdae screams into the radio while simultaneously hitting various buttons and pulling switches on the dashboard of the pod. Suddenly they turn sharply, facing toward the ocean floor. “Follow us. We’re going to have to find somewhere down in the kicked up sediment to hide.” 

The engines roar and they’re propelled forward. Kyungsoo can only hope that the other pod keeps up properly. They get radio confirmation a few moments later that they’re by their side. They hear a screech again, and suddenly the other pod is bumping straight into theirs. Jongdae curses, and Baekhyun laughs hysterically, holding onto the safety straps around him for dear life. He looks like he is on the verge of crying. 

“It’s just like bumper cars,” he says, voice cracking. “ _ Just like bumper cars _ .”

Kyungsoo would have probably yelled at him to shut up if it wasn’t for the radio suddenly coming to life again.

“It’s targeting us! Our pod won’t survive another hit!”

Yixing gasps, pointing to the small radar in front of him. “Jongdae, there’s a rift in the ocean floor here. It seems deep enough for us to hide in.”

Jongdae nods, picking up the receiver. “On my call, turn sharply to the left. Follow us tightly and don’t let up. Three.. Two… one… _ now _ !”

They break left, diving down so quickly Kyungsoo feels his stomach doing flips. The beast chasing them gives another screech, as if angry they are still trying to escape. Kyungsoo can hear his heartbeat in his ears, knuckles turning white as he grips his book. He feels so disoriented- he does not even know what’s happening. He does not know where they’re heading. All he feels is overwhelming fear, and all he sees is darkness. 

He does not even see the rift, he just feels his stomach dropping as they dive even deeper into the ocean’s waters. 

“We’re in,” Yixing announces and Kyungsoo’s eyes shoot up to watch the other man picking up the transmitter.. “Pod 3187... report.” 

“We are safe behind you.” 

“Good,” Jongdae sighs out in relief. “Descend another ten meters and await further instructions.” 

“I’ll try to locate and contact the other pods,” Yixing announces as he pulls a headset over his ears. 

Kyungsoo warily looks out from the front of the pod into the darkness. He can hear regular beeps coming from the radar, and the screeches of the creature lurking a little farther away. Except, this time the monstrous noises aren’t coming from behind them. They’re coming from  _ above  _ them. 

“Jesus,” Jongdae throws his head back with an exasperated sigh. “Okay. Fuck...okay. The rift is too narrow. I don’t think that it can follow us down here even if it tried. I think we’re safe for now.” 

Yixing’s voice is quiet and monotone from beside him as he tries contacting the other pods. Meanwhile Kyungsoo’s heartbeat is still drumming in his ears as he forces himself to breathe. 

“Is everybody alright?” Junmyeon asks then, voice full of worry. Only then does it occur to Kyungsoo that he fell in the submersible earlier. He thinks to the many others that had been possibly affected by the attacks too, counting himself lucky that all he came out with is a sprained ankle. He blinks quickly as he quickly looks down to inspect his body, and his nod is stiff when Junmyeon gives him a long look. 

“Pod 3142,” the static-y voice resounds around the pod. “We have some minor damage on the left propellers and a crack in the outer window. I’m afraid it won’t hold much longer.”

“The inner seal is unharmed?” 

“That is correct, sir.” 

“It should be fine, then,” Jongdae nods mostly to himself. “Stay tuned on this frequency and wait for further instructions.” 

When Yixing removes the headset and leans over the radars, Baekhyun dares to breathe again. He leans forward and looks out the windows curiously. 

“It’s moving away from here,” Yixing announces quietly, with a hopeful undertone to his voice. “I think it lost us.” 

“Are you sure?” Junmyeon asks. 

“It’s retreating,” Jongdae confirms as he looks at the radar. “I think we’re safe to use some lights now.” 

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun share a look- both too scared to voice out their opinion that they’d rather rot in darkness than be chased by a giant water snake again. However, it’s not like they have much of a choice. 

When the lights are turned on, it’s kind of hard to tell at first exactly where they are and what they’re surrounded by. It’s all so dark, even darker than before, and Kyungsoo realizes after a few solid seconds that they are, in fact, inside the rift and are surrounded by rocks from all sides. It’s like they had entered a faucet. No wonder that creature could not find or follow them down here. 

Kyungsoo holds his breath as he listens to the sound coming from the telecom. It’s becoming fainter, that awful screech, as the creature moves away. 

“Okay, increase brightness and give it a spin. Let’s try to see our surroundings,” Jongdae instructs from the front of the pod and Kyugnsoo snaps out of his daze, moving his eyes instead to the little monitors above the dashboard and the front window.

He focuses on the rocks instead. Black,  _ old _ , like the ones Baekhyun had been giving lectures about before they were attacked. Except, they’re looking more like an underwater cliff. Like an endless pit as the lights of the pod are directed downwards and hit nothing. Just eternal depth and darkness. 

Kyungsoo’s brow furrows as he looks away from those deep waters. He throws his head back and closes his eyes. His heart is still beating fast in his chest. 

“What is that?” Joohyun’s voice cuts through the silence and Kyungsoo is suddenly sitting at the edge of his seat again, looking out through the windows.

“It’s just a cenote,” Baekhyun says quietly, all spirit gone from his voice. “An underwater cave. It’s pretty common.” 

“Yeah, well, let’s stay away from that cause I don’t want to be attacked by an angry lobster again.” Yixing mutters, turning the pod to the other side. 

The rocks seem even darker on the other side but Kyungsoo is pretty sure that’s just his mind playing tricks on him at this point. It has been so long since he’d seen actual sunlight, at this point even the dark depths of the ocean seem familiar. 

Except, when the lights from their pod hit those walls he notices cracks on them. That would not be unusual in itself, according to Baekhyun’s lectures. However, what catches his attention is the fact that all those cracks seem to be dunning down deeper, coming together. 

“Can we descend some more?” 

Jongdae throws a look over his shoulder, before shrugging lightly. The pod moves and the lights follow the cracks. Kyungsoo takes in a deep breath and his hands move down to undo his seatbelt. 

“Hey,” he hears Seulgi softly protest, but he doesn’t stop to listen. There is another cave there, where all cracks come together. There is, however, something extremely peculiar about its shape, and for some reason it nags Kyungsoo endlessly.

“Down there,” He says, standing between Jongdae and Yixing’s seats at the front. He points to the opening. “That looks familiar.”

“What do you mean ‘ _ that looks familiar _ ’? We’ve never been down here before and-” Jongdae blinks at Kyungsoo’s serious look, apparently understanding where Kyungsoo’s mind is going.

“No,” he says. “Absolutely not.  _ No _ . I am  _ not _ ready to face another huge ass eel again, okay?”

“It was a leviathan.”

“A  _ what _ ?” Baekhyun asks incredulously from behind him.

“A leviathan,” Kyungsoo says, gesturing to his journal in his hand. “It’s all in here somewhere. I remember reading about it-”

“Well does your journal say how we get back to the surface without a ship to protect us from that thing attacking us again?!” Baekhyun screams, clearly still hysterical. “You’re a Linguist. You speak Atlantean.  _ Talk to it _ .”

“I can’t get us back to the surface, but the information I have on it means-”

“Information isn’t going to get us home!” Baekhyun says, harshly rubbing his face over and over. Kyungsoo gives him a sympathetic look for a moment.   
  


“No,” he says softly, looking around at the others. “But it means we’re really close.”

There’s a small hush that takes over the rest of the pod as everyone just stares at him, waiting for him to elaborate. Kyungsoo licks his lips.

“It’s documented in various cultures that when the gods created Atlantis, Poseidon became very fond of it. He wanted to keep the city and the people safe, so he gave them various gifts. One of them was a leviathan meant to be the gatekeeper of their city and protect them from threats.”

Kyungsoo watches as everyone looks at him with shocked expressions, especially Baekhyun whose mouth is hanging open unattractively. Kyungsoo gives him a smug look now.

“Bet your animal degree didn’t teach you that.”

Baekhyun immediately frowns. 

“It was a  _ Zoology  _ degree, you dick.”

Kyungsoo smiles a little, but then regards Jongdae again. The other man is looking at him hesitantly, gaze flickering back to the cave. 

“What’s so special about that cave, then?” he says, clearly considering it now.

Kyungsoo points at the cracks above it, everyone craning their heads to look. “It’s said that Atlantis was Poseidon’s treasure. Each of the gods had their own lands that they perfected to their liking. So, all of the stories I’ve come across depict the same symbol at the gates.”

“A trident,” Yixing says, in awe.

Everyone gawks at the sight of the large cracks above the cave linking together towards the top. The lines aren’t perfect, far from it in fact, but it’s undeniable that there in front of them is a trident. The cave’s opening rests at the very bottom, as if the trident is resting on top of it.

Jongdae suddenly sighs, rubbing his face harshly. 

“I swear to  _ God _ if there is another freakish monster in here, my death is on you, Do Kyungsoo.”

“Uhm,” Baekhyun starts, clearly offended. Kyungsoo thinks for a moment that the other man is about to object, but Baekhyun always manages to surprise him. “If you don’t bring us in there right now and stop worrying about  _ yourself _ , the rest of us would really like to see Atlantis.”

“We don’t  _ know _ if Atlantis is in there-”

“But it’s worth a shot, right?” Baekhyun fires back. He looks at everyone else, clearly not understanding why they all still look hesitant. Kyungsoo feels his heart swell at the fact the other agrees with him. “Look. We’re here. Besides that killer eel, this is the most physical evidence we found! It’s not like we can go anywhere else, right? I mean  _ for fuck’s sake _ .”

Kyungsoo throws a look around the pod. When his eyes catch Junmyeon’s, the doctor shrugs. 

“He  _ does  _ have a point.”

Jongdae and him have a short staredown, and Jongdae ultimately gives up with a sharp exhale. 

“ _ Fine _ ,” he says and picks up the transmitter again. Before he contacts the other pod, he gives Kyungsoo one last look. “Can all passengers sit down and buckle the fuck up?”

“My God,” Yixing muses under his breath as he starts hitting buttons on the dashboard, preparing the pod for a further descend. “Stop being such a dad.”

Kyungsoo’s heart beats wildly in his chest when he’s seated again and feels the pod moving. This time, however, it isn’t because he is terrified.

It is because excitement is pumping through his veins, mixed with anxiety and impatience. 

Because what if he is right? What if this really is the way to Atlantis? 

He bites on his lip as he stares through the front windows of the pod, fingers digging tightly into the leather-bound journal containing his entire research. 

It  _ has  _ to be. 

He thinks he hears Yixing tell the other pod their plan more in depth as Jongdae navigates, but all he can focus on is the sight in front of him. His eyes are glued to the glass, especially when they enter the cave only to find that it goes  _ deeper _ .

“What the fuck?” Jongdae’s voice sounds so confused as he stares at the sonar screen between him and Yixing.

“What?” Joohyun asks, clearly concerned.

“The shape of it… it’s just really strange.”

“Are we able to keep going?”

“Yeah, but we have to go down just to come back up again.”

Kyungsoo’s brows furrow, mind going a thousand miles per minute. He opens his journal, flipping through the pages wildly as Jongdae and the other pod slowly navigate through the narrow tunnel-like structure. He mumbles to himself, seeing Junmyeon out of the corner of his eye peek over his shoulder. Suddenly, he flips to the page he was looking for- a drawing he had made years ago based on a single account he had read about during his study abroad in London. 

He had not given it much thought at the time, but tried to recreate what it may have looked like just in case he ever found matching statements later. He looks at the elementary-like drawing, thinking even back then that it resembled a sink faucet with the way the entrance curved downwards, then upwards, only to lead to what the account had described as “the fallen land”. 

“Just keep going,” Kyungsoo mumbles out quietly. 

The pod is moving slowly and cautiously. The lights keep turning and revealing more and more of the rocks surrounding them. 

“ _ Holy fuck, _ ” Baekhyun suddenly exclaims, making everyone jump.

“What?!” Kyungsoo scrambles to try to see what could have possibly excited the other man, brows furrowing when he only sees the same old rocks in front of them.

“That quartz vein is sick as fuck- Ow! Why are you kicking me?!” Baekhyun glares at Junmyeon. 

“Can you, for one fucking moment, stop talking about  _ rocks _ . You’re not even a geologist!”

“I don’t have to be a geologist to know that’s rare as hell. Usually, veins are flat and form within the rock, but these are forming actual crystals?” Baekhyun tilts his head, staring intensely at the crystals. 

Yixing squints. “How do you know that’s quartz?”

Baekhyun blinks at that, scratching the back of his neck. “I mean… what else would it be?”

Kyungsoo gives Baekhyun a quick look before focusing back on the glass in front of him. The lights show the bottom of the tunnel suddenly, and Jongdae curses as he slowly slows the pod down, before changing the course. Kyungsoo feels his stomach turning, very much the same sensation he gets in elevators sometimes, when they start moving upwards. 

It’s silent as they move, Yixing softly speaking to the pod trailing behind them every once and a while. Everyone watches with bated breath, Kyungsoo continuously glancing at his drawing over and over again. His mind starts to play tricks on him the longer he stares into the black void in front of him, making it seem as if it is becoming lighter around them.

Jongdae pauses. “Pod 3187. Cut your lights.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Jongdae?” Seulgi questions.

They do behind them, Jongdae flicking a switch and doing the same. Kyungsoo’s eyes widen at the fact there really  _ is _ some sort of light coming from above them. He releases a shaky breath, heart pounding in his ears. 

Could it be?

Jongdae pushes on, the water around them steadily becoming lighter and lighter. 

“Are we at the surface?” Junmyeon asks confusedly. 

Jongdae glances at the sonar, sounding a little breathless. “Well… if you consider six kilometers underwater then  _ sure _ .”

Kyungsoo wants to stand up and take a closer look but he reminds himself to be patient. The pod is moving fast and he doesn’t want to get in the way.

Besides, the more they move, the brighter the waters become and the lighter the rocks turn, a tinge of blue surrounding them. It’s almost eerie. 

Kyungsoo blinks in surprise as he notices the rocks around them - not only are they lighter, they’re also glowing. Those quartz veins with crystals that had caught Baekhyun’s attention earlier? They’re emitting a soft blue-ish light, a soft hue that lights the waters around them gently. 

“What  _ is  _ that?” Seulgi muses quietly and Baekhyun just shakes his head. 

“This is exquisite,” he breathes. “I have never seen phosphorescence like this.” 

“Phosphorescence?” Jongdae echoes. 

“Yeah, it occurs in nature too, sometimes,” Baekhyun is almost stumbling over the words the higher up they get and the thinner the water around them becomes. “When the materials absorb radiation or natural light, they re-emit it, but it is much slower than the process of fluorescence. Those crystals...I’ll need to take samples. It might be some type of mineral.” 

“Weren’t you just saying an hour ago the rocks at the bottom of the ocean must be millions of years old?!” Junmyeon questions with a deep crease between his eyebrows. “Are you trying to tell me those rocks have been shining for millions of years too?” 

“Well,  _ no _ ,” Baekhyun says, but he doesn’t sound entirely convinced either. “Sometimes the re-emission is much slower. The phosphorescence can be a product of forbidden energy levels of emission of atomic nuclei, that’s quantum mechanics. No level of radiation could possibly reach so deep in the ocean. That’s why it’s fascinating.” 

“An ecologist, zoologist, botanist  _ and  _ a physicist. Hard to imagine why you’re single,” Jongdae says from the front of the pod. “The pressure is decreasing rapidly. We are at  _ some  _ surface.” 

Kyungsoo holds his breath as the pod moves even faster. Everything becomes a blur when they break through the water, everything is a little confusing at first. 

It takes him a few moments to realize that they’re no longer  _ in  _ the water, but floating  _ on  _ the water. That the soft blue hues of the lights are eerily filling the cave that they’re in, the same veins of quartz running up some of the rocks and even down the stalactites hanging from the tall ceiling of the cave. There are dips and corridors, disappearing into complete darkness. 

The pod sways violently when the other pod resurfaces too. That’s when Kyungsoo breaks out of his haze to the soft sound of Jongdae’s strict instructions. 

“Check the oxygen levels of the surroundings. Is it safe for us to get out of the pod?” 

Yixing moves immediately, pressing numbers and typing codes on the command prompt of the pod. 

“20.8% oxygen in the air according to the sensors. It’s a normal atmosphere.” 

“Good,” Jongdae turns around to look at the rest of them. “I need to go out and inspect the pods for damage. You all can stay here or you can-” 

“No way I’m staying in here,” Baekhyun scoffs, already undoing his seatbelt. Kyungsoo blinks, before he reaches down to fumble with his, struggling with the lock. Baekhyun’s hand lands on his shoulder. “I need Squeaky and that big book of his to help us figure out where to go now.” 

Kyungsoo is about to reply indignantly, but Jongdae just rolls his eyes and points towards the exit of the pod. He takes the hint and stands up. 

His feet are a little sore and he’s a little dizzy, but Joohyun’s arm is surprisingly strong for someone that tiny. She helps them get out of the pod one after another. 

The rocks feel soft beneath his feet as he takes the first hesitant step inside the cave. 

“ _ Fascinating _ ,” Baekhyun whispers, but his voice is carried on throughout the cave with an echo. Kyungsoo turns to look at him to only find that he is standing right there, in the middle of the cave, breathing in deeply and suddenly. His chest inflates, and then deflates when he exhales loudly. He repeats that same thing twice, and Kyungsoo’s eyebrows progressively knit tighter together in confusion. 

“What are you doing?” 

“There are no plants here,” Baekhyun replies before breathing in deeply again. When he breathes out, it’s mixed with an incredulous and maybe even dumbfounded chuckle. “How is there so much oxygen in here?”

Baekhyun keeps taking deep breaths, gaining attention from Junmyeon to slaps his arm. 

“Will you  _ stop _ ?” Junmyeon looks so annoyed, frowning at the other. “You’re going to force yourself to hyperventilate.”

Baekhyun ignores him, but promptly chokes on his own breath a few moments later. Junmyeon just looks at him like he’s a complete idiot.

“I feel like I was really sent here to be a glorified babysitter.” Kyungsoo cringes when Junmyeon slaps Baekhyun’s back harshly, assuming he’s trying to get him to stop coughing. Everyone else seems to ignore them as they stretch and look at the cave with wonder. “I’m a doctor of infectious disease, not your mother.”

Kyungsoo turns away from them with a sigh and slowly walks towards the rocks at the end of the cave instead, unable to keep from limping. He can still hear the banter behind himself echoing off the humid walls of the caves. The others talk amongst themselves too, not seeming to notice the linguist breaking away from them.

He reaches out hesitantly to touch the black rock, fingers hesitant to touch the slightly glowing veins and the various crystals that jut out. It’s a truly magnificent sight. It’s like the gentle blue light is seeping out from within the stone. It looks magical. 

It reflects on his skin, and the longer he stares at it, the more it reminds him of something.

Cunning, glowing eyes and sharp teeth enter his memory. When he breathes out, it is shattered and tired, and he doesn’t even realize how much tension he had been holding in his shoulders until they slump down. 

He cannot believe what they had gone through in the past hour. He is still trying to process it, but he cannot. 

He is still mildly petrified just thinking about that attack and all the pods scattering, about that  _ monster  _ chasing them. Almost killing them. 

He knows they’re lucky. 

He supposes that perhaps others hadn’t been. But that’s all he can seem to focus on.

He runs his fingers along the smooth crystals, breathing becoming a bit shallow as he thinks back to what Baekhyun had said.

_ “Kyungsoo… How many years do you think that sediment accumulated for?”  _

It’s impossible.

_ “Because to me… it looks like ten years, tops.” _

But it’s the only thing that makes sense.

Kyungsoo’s lower lip quivers at the thought, chest aching as a wound he thought had long healed is suddenly ripped open. Suddenly his throat feels as if it’s filled with cotton, and his eyes sting with tears.

The lights reflect in the water, throwing dancing shadows on the dark rocks, and Kyungsoo steps further away from the rest of the crew for more privacy. His hand is shaky as he pulls out his book, trying to hold in his sniffles until he knows he is far enough away.

The picture he keeps safely tucked in the inside of the leather is old and winded. The edges are worn and stained, and the colors within it are fading. It was the first thing Kyungsoo had ever put in his journal, and has always served as a source of motivation and inspiration. As a reminder. 

But now, as he looks at his brother’s cheeky grin as he carries a much younger Kyungsoo on his shoulders, he feels none of that. He only feels that same sorrow he had felt the day he had found out about his death. That same, hollow feeling that settled in his heart and festered there for months.

His brother had been his hero. They were close, despite their age gap, and losing him when Kyungsoo was still only in high school was the hardest moment of his life.

He feels like he’s fifteen again, alone and afraid. 

His heart hurts when he picks up the photograph and stares down at it. His hands are shaking, and his smile is bitter as a few tears fall. 

“ _ Hyung _ ,” he whispers quietly, raising the photograph to his chest and pressing it there firmly with his palm. “You made it so far.”

Another heavy tear rolls down his cheek and Kyungsoo closes his eyes, shutting them tightly. 

He had always thought he’d feel better if he knew how exactly his brother died. That it would give him some peace of mind. That it would close that heavy chapter of his life. 

Now, however, he knows how it happened. He knows what did it. 

And he realizes, he’d been wrong all along. Knowing doesn’t change a thing. In fact, it makes him hurt even more. His heart has never been in so much pain. 

_ So far _ . 

He breathes in deeply, trying to get himself together as he looks down at his journal. He opens it to safely tuck in the picture in the leather again, fingers gliding over the faded colors of his brother’s smile. 

“I’ll find it,” he whispers, mostly to himself. “I promise.”

He bites on his lower lip, eyes lingering on the photo for a few more moments, tears leaving sticky trails of regret on his face. 

The lights shift over his hands, the shadows abruptly dancing, and Kyungsoo blinks away from his journal. He looks up towards the high ceilings and various passages leading out of the cave, the shadows there even darker. There is rubble falling down the side of the black rocks and he squints his eyes when those dark shadows shift again, this time a bit unnaturally.

Kyungsoo tenses, eyes straining in the darkness casted by some of the larger rocks. He stays there, unmoving for a few moments.

His vision is blurred with tears, and his mind is not in the right place. He is still petrified with fear. He looks down to his book with a defeated sigh. His mind is playing tricks on him at this point. He’s been living in the darkness of the ocean for two months. He’s bound to start feeling the effects soon. It feels almost odd to be standing on solid ground. 

“Alright, everybody, gather around!” Jongdae’s voice is loud, cutting through the silence and startling him. “We need to figure out how we’ll proceed from now on!”

Kyungsoo straightens up then, raising an arm to quickly wipe away the traitorous evidence of his tears from his face with his sleeve. He sniffs and breathes in deeply, trying to compose himself when Jongdae’s loud urges resound through the caves again. 

His fingers tighten around his journal, keeping it close to his chest, as he throws one last look towards the dancing shadows in the depths of the cave. He stares for a few moments, as if expecting something but he sighs after a few moments.

He turns around, carefully making his way back to the others despite the unstable ground.

Kyungsoo’s eyes inspect the little crowd gathering around Jongdae, who’s standing on a rock so that everybody can see and hear him clearly. He has his hand behind his neck, rubbing at his nape as he tilts his head with a sigh. Baekhyun is the only one that seems to notice him walking up, and if he notices Kyungsoo’s bloodshot eyes, he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he just stands by him, pressing a gentle hand to his back as they both look to Jongdae.

“One of the pods suffered a lot of damage on one of the engines. It won’t be able to make the trip back to the surface if we don’t fix it. Luckily, it is not that critical and we do have the necessary instruments to work on that later on,” Jongdae announces, and Kyungsoo takes the time to look around the little crowd that’s gathered. Aside from the few people in their pod, there are two of those unpleasant archeologists he hadn’t really gotten along with, one more girl from the security team, as well as one of the engineers he had seen taking orders from Jongdae back on the submersible. “We have enough provisions to last us for about two weeks. We need to decide whether we will continue or not.” 

Jongdae looks around the crowd with a challenging look in his eyes and Kyungsoo sets his jaw. His fingers curl tighter into his journal. 

Their eyes meet and Kyungsoo doesn’t look away. Jongdae only smiles tiredly, like he had already resigned to his fate. 

“But we can discuss that in the morning,” he hops off the rock, standing by Yixing’s side as he nods vaguely. “We’ve all had a very long day. I think it’s a good idea to set up camp here for the night and talk it all out when we’re well rested.”

Everyone mumbles in agreeance, and Kyungsoo sighs. 

Jongdae is right. They all need their rest before they decide anything. And Kyungsoo knows that if they do press on, they’re going to need him now more than ever. 

He looks down at the journal in his hands, some of that lingering sorrow turning into something new.

Determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sara: thank god sam was paying attention in her oceanography class
> 
> Sam: thank god google reminded me what i learned in oceanography class
> 
> AnywAY JONGIN IS COMING we're so excited for the next chapters and we hope you are too!! Please please let us know what you think about this one. Your comments always make us feel so happy when we read them and give us the motivation to keep going <3


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might want to keep this open as a side tab while you're reading this haha   
>  [ **boop~** ](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T6XXdjxLLjd9I_LJiEYnFosJFE0uypthZGZbHGPeFfA/edit?usp=sharing)

It was a very tough evening. Kyungsoo couldn’t fall asleep at all. He didn’t think anybody really slept all that well, if he’s honest. 

He was afraid, but excited. He was curious, yet so frightened. And on top of all that, he was in pain. 

When they had started setting up the tents last night, he had noticed that he had hurt his leg. He doesn’t really remember when it had happened but his best guess was when the damn leviathan rocked their submersible, making him fall. The adrenaline had been too much for him to notice earlier. 

It had been Junmyeon coming up to him and noting that his ankle looked a little swollen. The moment he had taken his shoe off so the doctor could take a closer look, the pain had hit him like a freight train. Suddenly and out of nowhere. 

Junmyeon’s best and most hopeful guess without the proper equipment was that he had severely sprained his ankle because of the fall. All he had been able to do was secure it tightly with a bandage. He had proceeded to help Kyungsoo with the tent he had been tasked to put up, telling him to sit down and rest his foot instead. 

In the morning, after all the worrying and sleepless tossing around, Kyungsoo had woken up to realize that his leg had only gotten worse. 

It’s more swollen now, and he gets sympathetic looks from the others sitting around him. Junmyeon gives him a pill that’s supposed to reduce the pain a little. He also gives him a very worried look when everybody gathers around to discuss where they’re going to do next. 

It’s not a long meeting. Pretty much everybody is on the same page - they’re already here. They need to keep going. Sure enough, some are a little reserved about it. They’re worried that they’ll find nothing and won’t live to tell the tale. Kyungsoo is mostly worried that he will slow them down with his stupid foot. 

But ultimately, they decide to go on. Kyungsoo has all his notes, ready to go through them for the thousandth time if he has to. He _will_ lead them to Atlantis. He _will_ find it, and he won’t stop until he’s there. 

“What do you think happened to the other pods?” he hears Seulgi asking from the other side of the circle, the questions everybody has had on the tip of their tongues but hadn’t dared speak out loud. His heart clenches a little, flashbacks to the leviathan running through his mind. He feels shivers running up his spine as he looks at the glowing crystals above them. 

“The emergency navigation system was programmed to ascend the pod back to the surface,” Jongdae says, packing one of the massive backpacks, checking the computers and radars they can bring with themselves. “If the systems weren’t damaged, then they should have made it back up safely.” 

Kyugnsoo decides not to linger too much on the ‘should have’. He shuts his eyes tightly, trying not to think too hard about the leviathan attacking their comrades- about it destroying the pods. He tries not to feel too guilty. 

He fails. 

They decide to only pack essentials - as much food as they can gather in the massive backpacks they have. Fresh water. Some first aid kits, along with various special equipment they might need. Flashlights, telecoms, some handheld radars. Things that might help them out during their journey into the caves. 

Kyungsoo feels pathetic and so incredibly guilty that he cannot help with that. He wants to take a backpack too, he wants to do _something_. But Junmyeon insists that it’s going to be hard enough for him to move as it is- that carrying something heavy would only make things worse. He’s entrusted only with carrying his research and given the task to try his best to find the right directions. 

He just hopes he doesn’t let them down.

Time passes incredibly slowly when they have to keep walking. Every single minute is painful, but Kyungsoo grits his teeth and continues pushing through. 

He is incredibly grateful to his friends for always helping him. Junmyeon is always on the lookout for him, throwing worried glances and insisting they take occasional breaks. Kyungsoo tries not to mind the dirty glares some of the archaeologists throw at him. 

He is also grateful to Jongdae for helping him climb up the rocks when needed, to Yixing for supporting him when they walk, to Baekhyun for bringing him water when he sees him struggling. 

He tries to compensate for all of that by trying his hardest to read the symbols on the walls of the caves that they keep walking through. The longer they walk, the more symbols appear between the phosphorescent quartz veins. The longer they walk, the wider the caves become. 

On their second day of the journey, they find the first ruin. A fallen column with so many symbols on it that they have to spend four entire hours there so Kyungsoo can try deciphering most of it.

It motivates everybody to keep moving. Even the nasty archeologists. 

“Those do not look natural,” Baekhyun says as they keep watching, hands brushing over the smoother walls of the caves. “Not anymore.” 

Kyungsoo understands. The more they progress, the more it becomes apparent that they are getting closer. That those stair-like constructions are not a natural occurrence. That this had been made by people. 

Kyungsoo is in pain, yes, and he is slowing them down significantly, but he is also filled with determination to see this through. He will not stop until they find the entire city and all of its remains. Even if it means permanently feeling that unsettling pain in his leg with every step he takes. 

They set up camp for the evening again that night once they all feel too exhausted to go any farther. 

Kyungsoo already feels a little bothered. The nights are his least favourite part of this entire expedition. The caves are dark, despite the phosphorescence from the crystals, and they bring back memories of the depths of the ocean. Of razor sharp teeth, of lost colleagues. He cannot really rest during the nights, and finds himself barely able to sleep at all. He keeps staring at the dancing shadows on the walls, a very disturbing sensation washing over him every now and then. He can swear that he sees the rocks and the shadows moving, feeling like they’re constantly being watched. 

He’s officially losing his mind. 

So when they set camp that evening and when Yixing lights the fire, he sighs in relief when everybody gathers around. He likes it when they’re sitting together and talking. It makes him feel less alone. 

The members of the other pod sit a little ways away from them, which surprised Kyungsoo until Jongdae informed him that Yixing and one of the old archaeologists argued about what to have for dinner.

“I’m not eating canned beans _again_ . I don’t care if they put extra bacon in it, I am not eating that _garbage_. I need warm soup and rice.”

Everyone sighs at the mention of rice. Kyungsoo has to admit, he’s tired of the others’ suggestion of food as well. He really misses the jjigae he would get across the street from his apartment, or the spicy pork he would pig out on every couple weeks. Truth be told he misses a lot of food back home. Ever since he set out on this journey, he’s been at the mercy of the cooks onboard the submersible.

And they don’t even have those anymore, not after the leviathan’s attack.

Kyungsoo watches Yixing prepare some sort of stew, seeing him boiling water for the instant rice as well. His mouth is already salivating at just the smell. Yixing passes around some tea as well, and Kyungsoo holds the cup close to his chest.

Baekhyun drinks some, smacking his lips. “What kind of tea is this?”

“Aren’t you the one with the plant degree?” Jongdae asks smugly.

“It’s tea,” Baekhyun says sharply, glaring at Jongdae. “Not a tree or something.”

“It’s literally dirty leaf water, you imbecile.”

Kyungsoo watches as Yixing gets a sad look. “It’s the tea my grandmother packed for me from China…”

Jongdae panics. “I never said it was _bad_ dirty leaf water! It’s really really good!”

Yixing laughs suddenly, eyes glancing to Kyungsoo for a moment. He gives him a sympathetic look when he sees his elevated foot. Yixing gestures at the tea. “You better drink that. It will speed up the recovery process.”

Junmyeon chokes across from him, the doctor looking bewildered. “Excuse me?”

Yixing eyes him distastefully. “Are you going to call my grandma a liar?”

Junmyeon purses his lips, about to answer, but Baekhyun swoops in.

“He’s making our food,” Baekhyun says with a singsong voice, as if consoling a child about to throw a tantrum. “Don’t be rude.”

The frown Junmyeon sends Baekhyun has Kyungsoo snorting, Seulgi and Joohyun snickering as well. Baekhyun focuses on Kyungsoo now, eyeing his foot with a sparkle in his eyes. Kyungsoo immediately glares.

“Touch it, and I will drag you back to the pods to drown your ass.”

Baekhyun makes a face, avoiding eye contact at that point. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the rocks this morning.”

It gets quiet for a few moments before Jongdae suddenly chuckles. They all look at him questionably, but he just waves his hand.

“It’s just. We’re all like some kind of bad bar joke, you know?” Kyungsoo gives him a confused look and he elaborates. “A linguist, an engineer and a doctor walk into Atlantis-” 

Baekhyun points menacingly. “Excuse you, what about _me_?” 

“We left the environmental animal plant guy home because he had too many degrees to make the joke _funny_.” 

“Fuck you.” 

Everyone laughs, including Kyungsoo who can’t seem to stop after seeing Baekhyun’s expression. He notices the others glance at them from afar and for a moment he feels bad that they’re left out. Then again, they chose to sit so far away. 

Yixing stirs the stew, seeming satisfied when he tastes it. He dishes it out one by one, and everyone starts eating. Kyungsoo sighs happily around the mouthful of rice he takes before digging into the stew. It’s the best thing he’s had since he started this adventure.

“Okay but real question,” Joohyun finally asks, looking around their small circle curiously as everyone chews. “We know why Kyungsoo is here, but what about the rest of you? What led you here?”

Kyungsoo raises his head too, eyes travelling from person to person. He _is_ curious.

Jongdae shrugs. “I was hired to help build the submersible, so for me it was all money at first. I was being paid really well, and Heechul told me that he’d like me to join on the expedition since I was an expert on all the machinery.” 

Jongdae takes a sip from his tea before leaning back on the rock. He gives a little distressed smile. 

“He conveniently left out the bit where we might get attacked by a murderous lobster, but I guess that’s fine.” 

Kyungsoo feels a little conflicted at that, but he recalls Jongdae has an interest in history too. Deep down, this must mean something a little more than a simple paycheck.

Junmyeon clears his throat next. 

“I… really don’t know how I ended up here, I suppose. I was a friend of a friend of Heechul’s. He heard that I was looking for work in the field, rather than being stuck in a hospital. I thought he’d help me get into the Peace Corps or something. When he told me about this, I jumped at the opportunity.” Junmyeon smiles a little. “Imagine it, me- a doctor of infectious disease- there with the team that discovers Atlantis. It’s amazing.”

Kyungsoo smiles, especially when Yixing pats his back. 

“I’m the same. I was looking for work outside of being stuck in a cubicle. I was put on the team with Jongdae, and well. When I was asked if I wanted to go, it wasn’t even a question at that point.” He looks at Kyungsoo with stars in his eyes. “Listening to your lectures just made me more and more excited.”

Kyungsoo’s heart feels a little warm at that, not realizing anyone was actually _enjoying_ any of his long lectures. Honestly, he had been too focused on the other archaeologists constantly interrupting him to even notice Yixing had been there.

All eyes gravitate towards Joohyun and Seulgi. Joohyun sighs.

“We’re just from Heechul’s personal security team. He trusted us and a few others to make sure you all were safe and protected on the journey.”

“Besides,” Seulgi shrugs. “He’s been rambling on and on about Atlantis for _years_. It’s hard not to get at least a little interested.” 

Kyungsoo purses his lips. “Does he put his sunglasses in your shirt too?”

Joohyun smirks. “No, because he values his hands.”

“Excuse me for asking,” Junmyeon starts lightly, an almost scared and hesitant tone to his voice. “But how do two young girls gain a high enough clearance to be able to do such advanced security contracts for a multibillion dollar expedition?”

“Would you prefer big old military men instead?”

Junmyeon cringes. “Well, no.”

“Two young girls it is, then.” Seulgi says, slapping Junmyeon’s back as he tries to sip his tea. 

There’s something decidedly sharp in their eyes, even if they’re so young and tiny. Kyungsoo has no doubt that they can kick his ass within seconds. He decides then that it’s better to never really go against them. He does have a sense of self-preservation. 

Kyungsoo looks to Baekhyun, watching him grin at Junmyeon choking on his tea. Jongdae hums, gesturing to the zoologist.

“And what about you, oh mighty forever university student?”

Kyungsoo half expects Baekhyun to be serious for a moment in his life, but it turns out that is impossible.

“Are you kidding me? A free cruise _and_ I get paid a ridiculous amount of money to tell a bunch of other nutcases about rocks and plants? Why wouldn’t I go?” Baekhyun sits back on his hands, jerking his head to flip his bangs out of his eyes. “Besides, I’m here for the hot Atlantean babes.”

There is a beat of silence.

“Well, their bones anyway.”

Junmyeon face palms so hard that Kyungsoo can feel it in his soul.

He just shakes his head. He can see right through Baekhyun’s bullshit. Everybody can. If it was just for the free trip to the bottom of the ocean, he wouldn’t have been so invested in actively collecting samples and giving them extensive information on anything they need. 

Jongdae throws a little pebble at him. “If that is your subtle way of saying you’re horny because you’ve been underwater for two months getting no action, it’s not working.”

Baekhyun smirks at him. “Bold of you to assume there’s been no action.”

Joohyun suddenly laughs, her covering her mouth afterwards as she giggles. She waves her hand. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just. You’re literally the biggest nerd of the whole bunch.”

This has all of the men around the circle looking at each other. An attack that had been initially directed towards Baekhyun has now been fired at them all. 

Yes, they _are_ nerds. And yes, they stick together. 

“I’ll have you know,” Yixing jumps in to help as he takes a sip from his tea. He has this very serious, matter-of-fact expression on his face. “A lot of people are into nerds.” 

“Really?” Joohyun throws a look towards Seulgi. The other girl is hiding a smirk too. “When has your degree _ever_ gotten you laid?” 

“Easy,” Baekhyun huffs indignantly. “I’m a zoologist. You’d be surprised how many people go soft for the combination of man and puppy.” 

Joohyun gives him a look of doubt.

Baekhyun licks his lips, smirking a little as he thinks back. “Brought a girl to the zoo I was interning at. She was ready to jump my bones after I let her feed the giraffes.”

Junmyeon shrugs. “I’m a _doctor_. That alone is enough.”

“Do they run screaming when you tell them you deal with infectious disease?”

“Look. I leave that part out.”

Seulgi laughs. They all glance to Kyungsoo, who’s next in line. He flusters immediately, lips sealed shut as he tries to think of a way to avoid the subject. Baekhyun clicks his tongue. 

“Okay, maybe Yixing was wrong. Some nerds really _are_ doomed,” he waves a hand in Kyungsoo’s direction. “What’s his degree gonna do for him? Help him analyze speech during sex?!“

Kyungsoo doesn’t really have a reply to that, instead he just looks down at his teacup as soft chuckles come from all around the circle. When nobody speaks up and he raises his head a little, he realizes with horror that they are _still_ looking at him. 

_Shit_. 

“I, uh...I guess I was always too busy with my research.” 

Jongdae blinks. 

“What do you mean _‘always’_?” 

_SHIT_. 

Kyungsoo’s mouth feels dry and he is squirming in his seat. He dug his own grave with that one stupid sentence. 

“Hold on,” Baekhyun says and Kyungsoo can sense from the astounded tone of his voice that he’s up to _no_ good. “Was I the first person you’ve ever shared a bed with when I forced you to sleep in my bunk?!” 

“That’s not-”

Baekhyun gets a shit eating grin. “I popped your cherry.”

“ _Stop_. We literally just slept next to each other. Stop making it sound like we actually fucked.”

“The tragic fate of the virgin linguist,” Jongdae says, shaking his head. “Having one of his firsts with the animal guy, of all people.”

“At least it wasn’t with the computer guy.” Baekhyun laughs when Jongdae throws another pebble at him, narrowly missing Kyungsoo’s swollen ankle. Jongdae suddenly goes pale at Kyungsoo’s death glare, scooting closer to Yixing as if that would protect him.

Kyungsoo can still feel the flush in his cheeks as he looks away sharply. The subject is still hanging and he is mortified that someone might bring it up again. 

Thankfully, girls are indeed superior and sense that this has gone too far. Seulgi claps her hands together.

“Anyways. We should try catching some sleep tonight,” she says with a sigh. “According to the symbols on that column we have to go up some hill tomorrow, right?” 

Kyungsoo nods almost immediately.

“That’s right. It said the path will lead straight to the peak. I’ll have to read the text we pass by tomorrow,” he says excitedly. “I mean, we have to be getting close. Look at all of that.” 

He gestures vaguely towards the ruins of stairs and fallen columns. Jongdae just gives him a lopsided smirk. Junmyeon nods enthusiastically. 

“That’s right,” Joohyun stands up first, getting closer to the fire that’s already dying out. She steps on it harshly a few times, putting it away. “We should all go to sleep. The earlier we leave in the morning, the better.” 

Junmyeon walks over to Kyungsoo, insisting to check and tighten his bandage again before he goes to sleep. He hands him another pill and a bottle of water. He has this perpetually apologetic look in his eyes, keeps repeating that he wishes he could do more. Kyungsoo just purses his lips and pats him reassuringly. The doctor is doing his best and he knows that. He couldn’t possibly ask for anything else. 

“Come on, then,” Jongdae grunts when he walks over to Kyungsoo and helps him get up. He brings his hand over his shoulder as he helps him navigate around the rocks towards the tent. 

Kyungsoo really appreciates it. Especially the fact that Jongdae even helps him spread out the rolled up mattress and sit down carefully. 

“You want some company tonight, virgin linguist?” the man asks, his smirk playful and teasing. 

He manages to escape the tent before Kyungsoo can swing at him. 

His loud and cheerful laughter echoes back in the cave, and Kyungsoo’s cheeks burn even harder. 

  
  
~  
  


Kyungsoo can’t really sleep that night either. His heart feels heavy but his chest feels light all at the same time. He is excited because they are really close. That thought alone keeps him awake. 

That, and his foot hurts. 

Baekhyun is snoring lightly next to him. Lucky him. Kyungsoo wishes he could get some proper sleep too. Instead, he’s been rolling around on the uncomfortable mat the entire night, mind racing with thoughts. Besides, ever since Baekhyun turned a few hours ago and accidentally kicked him in his sleep, there have been regular waves of pain pulsing from his swollen ankle to the rest of his body. 

He is almost too tempted to go and wake Junmyeon up, beg him for some pill for pain relief. However, he knows how exhausted everybody is. He can just take the pill in the morning. Junmyeon deserves to sleep just as much as anybody else. It wouldn’t be fair. 

Kyungsoo stands up slowly, wincing when the pain shoots through his body again. He holds on to his knee for support, then wobbles out of the tent slowly. Maybe some water would help clear his mind at least. 

Their camp is exceptionally quiet. Everyone is asleep. He doesn’t know what time it is, but he assumed it is well into the early hours of the morning. The fire is not burning anymore, the tents are zipped up. The only light is coming from the greenish phosphorescence of the quartz veins. It is dreary and borderline creepy with the dark shadows that the rocks are hiding, but he has gotten used to it already. 

Kyungsoo drags himself slowly over to the supplies on the large rock by their snuffed out fire. Water is one of the supplies Junmyeon had insisted on stocking up on, so he allows himself to take several big sips. It feels refreshing, and he shuts his eyes as he brings down the bottle to his ankle. It’s not nearly as cold as he’d like it to be but it still feels soothing. Even if it’s just for a moment. 

He lets himself just sit there for a few minutes, sighing in relief as the coolness of the water bottle seeps into his skin before disappearing completely. He tries not to be too dejected when he settles the bottle down, but he also tries to look on the entire situation from the positive side - at least there is sleep finally creeping behind his eyelids, the inevitable exhaustion catching up eventually. 

Kyungsoo turns around then, slowly hobbling back to the camp. He is ready to lie back down and pass out, maybe gather some energy and pray that his leg feels at least a little bit better in the morning. 

He stops in his tracks when he hears the gentle shuffle of feet. His eyes shoot up towards his and Baekhyun’s tent, heart palpating in his chest. 

A dark figure looms there for a moment, lean and tall. Kyungsoo sees it for a flash of a second before it pushes past the unzipped tent and disappears from his sight. 

For a moment, he thinks it might be just his mind playing tricks on him again. After all, the shadows have become a part of his daily life at this point. However, the fabric of the tent is swaying lightly, and Kyungsoo just sighs, reaching up to rub at his eyes. Maybe Baekhyun had just got up to get something. Or maybe he woke him up with his quiet groans. He feels guilt flood his chest at the thought.

It takes him a few moments to drag himself back to the tent, the remorseful apology on the tip of his tongue. He pulls back the flap and his heart drops. 

There are _two_ people in the tent. 

Baekhyun lays on his back, looking at him with eyes widened in horror. There’s another man with one hand tightly covering Baekhyun’s mouth, muffling the sounds of protest, while the other is holding a knife to the zoologist’s throat, effectively immobilizing him. 

Kyungsoo’s breath hitches and his eyes widen. He can’t see the man above Baekhyun clearly, but he’s wearing a mask - it being dark and wooden in nature with intricate patterns adorning the entire surface and twisting in the shape of a face. Kyungsoo realizes with yet another pang in his chest why it looks so familiar - those blue patterns with a silver glow, the way they run down the mask. The way they intertwine and part. 

Baekhyun makes a strangled noise then as if in pain, and Kyungsoo immediately snaps out of his fear induced daze. He doesn’t think, just throwing himself at the intruder in hopes he at least can help Baekhyun escape his grasp. The man grunts, and Kyungsoo barely has time to register anything. His eyes are wide, scrambling for the other’s knife but the man is faster.

Before the man can get the upper hand though, Kyungsoo swings his fist, somehow managing to land a punch to the other’s face. He thinks he hears the mask crack as the man recoils and Kyungsoo yelps when a wave of fresh pain courses through his hand.

“ _Fuck_ ’,” Kyungsoo says, panting. He feels Baekhyun frantically grab his arm, both of them dragging themselves out of the tent before the intruder could recover. Neither of them are able to get their footing, just using their feet to clamber away. Kyungsoo backs up, eyes never leaving the tent until suddenly he bumps into something.

He freezes, especially when he realizes it’s definitely not a rock. 

He turns around slowly, heart racing and bile rising in his throat.

There, standing tall above him are a small group of four people, all wearing the same masks that the intruder had on. Kyungsoo is like a deer in headlights, unable to move as he trembles before them. One of them positions themselves with their feet spread, getting into a fighting position as they point what looks like a spear at Kyungsoo’s throat.

Kyungsoo’s eyes never leave the glowing eyes of the mask before him, shaking like a leaf as the other man before him makes him slowly rise to his feet. 

He feels the cold metal of the spear press to his neck when he struggles to stand properly, the pain in his foot somehow bothering him even now despite the endorphins rushing through him. Kyungsoo lets out a shaky breath, cringing and looking down at his swollen foot. 

The masked man’s head dips a little, looking as if they are lingering on Kyungsoo’s foot for a moment. But suddenly, they look to the side, whispering something to the others hidden by the bright blue glowing details of the masks. 

Kyungsoo chances looking to Baekhyun beside him, seeing the other man frozen in absolute terror with a spear held to his neck as well. The ice-cold metal is quickly pressed flush against his throat again, and when Kyungsoo’s eyes snap back to the masked man.

Steady pressure is added, as if a warning not to say a word.

Kyungsoo swallows harshly, lips pressed tightly together in fear that he may accidently make some sort of noise and meet his demise.

It is so quiet, one could hear a pin drop. Kyungsoo hardly hears the other masked intruders in the camp as they scatter, just praying to any deities out there that his friends aren’t being butchered in their sleep. Kyungsoo tries to cling to hope that they’re not and that he and Baekhyun aren’t next to die.

He wishes in this moment he could try to fight back, try to defend his friends. All he has is two years of taekwondo from his middle school years and that’s it. Curse him and his stupid will to not to study something _essential_ -

The man before him moves slightly, head dipping as if listening to something behind him. Kyungsoo’s breath hitches.

Before, the other’s mask had looked like nonsensical drawings, like the ones he had seen on many ruins they had passed by the past couple days. Nothing looked important besides the brilliant glow of the blue crystals embedded in their masks like patterns. But with the man’s head tilted, he can see it clearly.

There is a lone symbol in the middle of the mask’s forehead, hidden among the various patterns of the crystals. 

The same one they had seen on the leviathan. 

‘ _To protect_.’ 

Kyungsoo’s heart races for a different reason now, ears straining to listen when the man in front of him speaks lowly to the other that now walks up. Kyungsoo gulps when he sees the crack in the mask, realizing it’s the one he clocked in the jaw before and shivering. The man trades places with the one currently holding the spear to Baekhyun’s throat, instead holding his own to the center of Baekhyun’s chest, just above his heart.

Kyungsoo tries to focus on the words that leave the other’s lips, but his heart is beating entirely too loudly in his ears for him to focus. His eyes rake down the man before him instead, blinking as he is finally able to think clearly enough to take in the other’s outfit.

Before, his fear had made him blind to it, but the man in front of him has a sort of armor on his forearms. The metal glints under the glow of the crystals around the cave, and Kyungsoo’s eyebrows furrow when he looks up the man’s arms to see what looks to be deep blue scales. They stop at the upper bicep on both sides, the other man’s shoulders having a completely different set of armor. His is different from the one Kyungsoo had punched when he compares them side by side, Kyungsoo’s masked assailant instead being more intricate with the way the metal at the very tip of his shoulder curls. 

‘ _Like waves_ ,’ Kyungsoo thinks.

Kyungsoo sees the other’s leather strap resting across his bare chest, it having various symbols on it but he can hardly see them in the poor lighting of the cave. There is a pouch like piece towards the bottom, and Kyungsoo spots a handle to what he assumes is a knife. Below that, the other man is only where what looks to be a deep blue, thin cloth wrapped around his hips. It’s wrapped in such a way that a single piece hangs lower in the front, and it’s then that Kyungsoo sees other colors incorporated into it. He quickly glances to the other masked figure next to him, seeing only deep blue and nothing else.

His eyes go back to the man in front of him, eyes lingering on the colors of the cloth. The spear is once against pressed to his skin, but rather than against his throat in a threatening manner, it is pressed under his chin. The man makes Kyungsoo raise his head, and he swears he hears a chuckle come from the other at Kyungsoo’s horrified expression.

Those glowing eyes of the mask stare into his soul, but Kyungsoo stares back. His mind is racing, trying to piece this all together when suddenly his attention shifts. 

He hears Jongdae somewhere off to his side giving an affronted ‘ _watch it!_ ’, and when Kyungsoo turns to look, he sees one of the intruders poking him in the back to make him walk forward. The others in the camp are behind him, all being lead out of their tents and to where he and Baekhyun are currently standing. 

Kyungsoo’s eyes dart around to each other the intruder’s masks, seeing the same symbol on each. He shakes his head.

Something is off. _Very_ off. 

There’s no possible way that these people are- but who else could they be? That symbol, the fact they are quite obviously human… 

The masked man looks towards the others, and Kyungsoo’s heart is in his throat when he speaks this time. 

“ _Nin acai_.”

Kyungsoo hardly breathes, staring at the man in shock.

‘ _Check them_.’

Never in his life has Kyungsoo heard anyone other than himself speak this language. He painstakingly taught it to himself over the course of his entire career, and never thought he would live to see the day to hear it come from someone else’s mouth. It’s a dead language. Lost and forgotten, only remaining on ancient scrolls for linguists like him to decipher and study.

Because this particular language was never really considered a language in the first place.

“Atlantian,” Kyungsoo whispers breathlessly. The man in front of him stops for a moment and slowly turns to look at him, but is quickly distracted when Baekhyun starts to whimper. Kyungsoo looks at him, seeing him looking as if he’s ready to run to help the others. The man with the cracked mask quickly turns his spear, hitting Baekhyun in the chest with the butt of the weapon to shut him up. Baekhyun gives him a weak glare then, but it disappears when the spear is pressed to his skin. 

Kyungsoo startles when Baekhyun releases a pained yelp, as if the spear is piercing his skin. A little farther away he sees Joohyun’s hand immediately reach back, and Kyungsoo panics when he realizes she is going for her gun.

“Wait!” Kyungsoo shouts. “Joohyun, don’t!”

Everyone looks to him, including the intruders. Kyungsoo is barely able to breathe now, but he looks to the masked man directly in front of him.

He feels the tip of the spear pressing into his skin at his sudden shout, in alarm. 

“Don’t hurt them,” Kyungsoo says, and those soulless blue eyes of the masks stare back at him. Kyungsoo wracks his brain for the proper words, furrowing his brows and pursing his lips as he speaks shakily. “ _R-Ranya… ne acai_.”

There is a long pause, and Kyungsoo feels years of his life taken off with each second that ticks by.

The spear in front of him never falters, but the man does lift his other hand to his face. Kyungsoo watches with bated breath as he slowly lifts up the mask, cerulean blue eyes staring at him a moment later. 

Kyungsoo forgets how to breathe. Those eyes staring right at him - they’re sharp and inquiring, the striking blue like a whirlpool. When the man removes his mask completely, his hair falls down in soft strands of perfect white, contrasting the golden shade of his skin. 

His lips are full and look so soft despite being pursed in concentration as his cerulean eyes narrow even more. Kyungsoo’s eyes take in the tattoo - a simpler pattern running through the middle of his eyelid, ending in the middle of his cheek with a sharp tip. Just like the man’s eyes, the tattoo is a vibrant blue, like the glow of the crystals surrounding them in this cave. 

Kyungsoo breathes in sharply, noticing a faint glow coming from beneath the man’s armor. He eyes it, spotting a little crystal attached to a leather necklace wrapped around his neck and resting somewhere on his collarbones. It had been hidden until now, between the leather slung across his chest.

He doesn’t have time to linger on that, because the spear nudges him lightly again, and his head snaps up to look at the man’s face. His white eyebrows are knitted together and he looks equal parts hostile and confused. 

“ _Vem ve cai_ ?” The man says - _asks_ , and Kyungsoo startles when he realizes he’s talking to him. “ _Vana di ve cai?_!”

He breathes in deeply, only just now noticing how silent it has gotten around them. His eyes flash to the others. Baekhyun is looking at him with widened eyes, Seulgi is holding a hand up on her chest. They all look worried. They all look _terrified_. 

Kyungsoo shuts his eyes when he feels another nudge from the spear. 

_Who are you?_

The man’s first question. Who are you? 

“ _Ca...Ca ve Kyungsoo_ ,” he says in a small voice, his tone scared and thin. His mind is all over the place. He doesn’t think he’s ever been this scared in his entire life, a knife pointing right at his neck as he tries to scramble for the right words. 

It is one thing to be reading ancient texts, slowly, in his office.

It is a whole other thing to be trying to speak it out loud, quickly, when your own life and the lives of others are on the line. 

“ _Ca ve-_ ” he purses his lips, all words evaporating from his brain. He doesn’t know the word for scientist in Atlantian. He isn’t even sure there’s a word for that. The second question? _Where are you from?_ How does he explain that he is from the surface? From Korea? There is so much he doesn’t know, and it hits him like a truck in that exact same moment when he is unable to gather the words he had been studying for the majority of his life. “ _Fuck_.”

“What is he saying?” Jongdae raises his voice and Kyungsoo’s head whips in his direction just in time to see one of the men in the masks just raising his knife in warning.

“I don’t-” Kyungsoo’s voice cracks in the middle of his sentence as he shakes his head. “He is asking where we’re coming from.”

“Holy shit, you understand him?!” Jongdae bellows, earning himself another nudge from the man with the mask. 

“Tell him!” Baekhyun urges, panic lacing his voice, and Kyungsoo feels the horror rising within him again. His friends are looking at him. They all look so desperate and afraid. They are relying on him, right now. Depending on him more than ever before. _Shit_ how did it even come to this? 

“ _Aca ve-._ ..” Kyungsoo runs his tongue over his dry lips as he looks back to the man in front of him. His eyes are still as sharp as he gazes right at him, a hint of curiosity swirling in the deep pools of his irises. _Friends_ . What is the word for friends? Kyungsoo breathes in deeply. “ _Aca ve yaate_.”

“ _Yaate_ ?” The man repeats after him, pronunciation smooth and confident, unlike Kyungsoo’s butchered attempts to speak. In his own defense, he is quite literally shaking. The intruder looks perplexed now as he cocks his head a little. “ _Vol yaate?! Vo ve cai tulla?_ ”

_‘Why did you come?’_

Kyungsoo lets out a breath, shaking his head in dejection. He throws a desperate look towards his friends. Junmyeon and Yixing are looking at him with wide eyes, Joohyun trying to keep a straight face as she assesses the situation. 

“I’m sorry,” he ends up whispering, shaking his head again as he looks towards the man in front of him. “I’m really sorry. I can’t-...”

Kyungsoo’s voice trails off, and he just looks at the man with the white hair and shining cerulean eyes, watching the way his eyebrows knit a little deeper. He sets his jaw, plump lips pressed tightly. 

“Why are you here?” The man asks in perfectly smooth Korean.

Kyungsoo feels his breath hitching, standing there absolutely dumbfounded. His mouth opens and closes in shock. He throws one quick look to his friends, all looking equally stunned. He feels the relief seeping into his chest for the briefest moment, before he remembers the spear that’s still pointing right at his throat. “What are your intentions?”

Kyungsoo tries to force himself to think clearly. Their lives are depending on this. 

“We are scientists,” he says carefully, slowly, measuring every single beat of his voice. “We come in peace. We are looking for Atlantis.”

The man remains silent, still staring at him with an unreadable expression. He shifts his head ever so slightly towards the other men, but his eyes remain trained on him. He says something in Atlantean, but he speaks it entirely too quickly for Kyungsoo to catch any of it. His eyes shoot from one man to another, between his friends. Then, finally, back to the man with the blue eyes. 

“Are you from Atlantis?” he asks breathlessly, unable to contain it. His voice sounds strained, and his palms are sweating. Especially when the man looks back at him with his piercing gaze. “That’s-”

“You’re coming with us.” 

  
  


**~**

  
  


Nobody dares speak up. Those men with the masks and spears watch them at all times as they lead them through the tight tunnels and corridors of the caves. Spears are pointed at them constantly, especially at Joohyun and Seulgi. 

Kyungsoo is barely keeping up, though. The pain is shooting through his entire body with every step he takes, but for the sake of keeping his life he decides to ignore it as best as he can. Instead, he watches as his friends are poked in the backs by the dull ends of the spears every now and then, being urged to walk forward in a tidy formation. 

The intruders are all wearing their masks again, and Kyungsoo is amazed by how agile and quick they are. They jump from rock to rock, squatting and moving quickly, while still keeping an eye on them and holding their weapons. The movements are practiced, and with ease, and if Kyungsoo wasn’t scared for his life right now he would be amazed.

“So are you guys Atlantians or not?!” Jongdae asks at some point, sounding rather confused as his voice echoes off of the rocks around them. He doesn’t get a reply, only another nudge in the back. “Will you _stop_ that?!”

“That’s impossible,” Baekhyun says quietly in a wavering voice. “No, that’s just-... it can’t be. Atlantis… it sunk down thousands of years ago. That’s literally impossible, I-”

“Quiet,” the man with the cracked mask says, and Kyungsoo startles at how deep his voice is. He flashes him a look when he tightens his fingers around the spear and points it forward towards them again. “Move it.”

Kyungsoo’s body is shaking and he can’t tell if it’s from fear, pain, or the shock of it all. He just knows there are millions of thoughts racing through his mind, and he can’t seem to focus on a single one of them. 

The paths in the cave become steeper, and the drawings and patterns on the walls become even more intricate. The veins of crystals become more prominent, the patterns becoming more and more complex as they go. The most shocking thing, though, is the steady light that seems to be slowly illuminating the cave properly as they walk. It’s not just the crystals, now. Instead, something else entirely.

There are _plants_ under his feet now, a soft green sneaking between some of the rocks like some sort of moss. He blinks in surprise, throwing a quick look towards Baekhyun. The botanist has a deep crease between his eyebrows and his mouth is a little agape. He seems at a loss for words. 

“Where are we _going_?!” 

Kyungsoo’s fingers ball into fists when he hears Junmyeon’s rather panicked question. His eyes shoot from one intruder to another, their masks hiding their faces and eyes. He knows they’re watching them, though. Especially the one with the wave-like armor standing at the very front, leading the way. 

They don’t get a reply now either. 

Kyungsoo just takes in a deep breath. If they wanted to kill them, they would have already done that back in the camp. 

Maybe they still want to kill them, but at least they’re getting some time to figure something out. Kyungsoo is trying his best to summon all the Atlantean knowledge he has - all the words, all the grammar he has been studying his entire life. 

Not that he needs it, though, since they seem to be perfectly capable of understanding them.

Kyungsoo winces when pain shoots through him, a whimper escaping his lips as they move up the steep corridor. He reaches down instinctively towards his leg, too distracted to even mind that everybody looks towards him. 

“He’s hurt!” Junmyeon speaks up and he sounds rather angry. When Kyungsoo looks up he sees the doctor shaking off one of the intruders to break the formation they were forced into. The spears are being held tighter and there is a brief yell from one of the masked men, but Junmyeon doesn’t pay them any mind as he walks towards Kyungsoo. He hooks an arm under his elbow, helping him stand up straight. The worry flashes through his face as he supports him. “Are you alright?” 

Kyungsoo vaguely nods as he tries to deal with the fresh wave of pain, feeling everybody’s eyes on them. Junmyeon looks up with a set jaw and fire in his eyes, as if daring anybody to challenge him.

Kyungsoo looks up blearily, gaze falling on the man with the wave-like armor. He is still standing at the front, face hidden beneath the mask. He is standing tall and lean on the rock in front of them, the spear in his hand pointing towards the ground. 

“Let’s go,” he says curtly, and Kyungsoo’s fingers dig into Junmyeon’s biceps as the doctor helps him walk. 

It seems like an eternity as they keep walking, especially with fear causing the blood to freeze in his veins. In reality, though, it’s probably just been minutes. Junmyeon is quiet beside him as he helps him climb the steep stairs, supporting most of his weight. The stairs are built into the cave’s floor, carved meticulously. Kyungsoo feels so guilty. As if it hasn’t been hard enough on everybody so far, now this too…

The more they walk, the thicker the moss appears on the rocks and Kyungsoo’s breath hitches when he hears the sound of flowing water crashing against rocks. He can swear that the caves are getting wider and _brighter_. 

Kyungsoo warily eyes the brightness, everything suddenly so visible. The blue of the intruders’ armors are shining like scales in the light and the glow of the patterns on their masks is even more vibrant now.

They are all climbing the rocks on the sides of the stairs, moving so expertly and precisely. They jump and hang onto the little crooks, using their spears to navigate easier and faster. Kyungsoo doesn’t know how they do it. He’s out of breath by the time they make it to the top of the stairs. He can’t feel his leg, his arm hurts where Junmyeon is holding onto him too tightly.

Baekhyun’s sudden gasp is cut short in bewilderment. There are even more plants up here, them forming up the walls of the cave and practically covering them. They hang like curtains there, swaying ever so slightly. Is that... a breeze he’s feeling on his face? He doesn’t have time to focus on that, because his eyes catch a glint of light seeping through the hanging vines. Kyungsoo’s breath hitches again. 

His eyes shoot towards the man with the cracked mask, who makes his way to the front as the others remain in their positions. He raises his spear, and his head whips towards the man that had spoken to Kyungsoo before- the one that has been watching his every move like a hawk. He stands there at the side, his weapon planted in the ground. 

“ _Ve cai sikke_?” he asks, and Kyungsoo blinks as he looks towards the man with the colorful cloth. He realizes now that he must be their leader.

_‘Are you sure?’_

Sure about what? He holds his breath as he sees the other man just nods once, curtly. 

He doesn’t have much time to linger on that, because the man he had punched before raises his spear towards the plants, pulling them to the side. Kyungsoo is suddenly blinded by the bright light, so sudden and strong that he has to look away for a few moments until his eyes adjust. 

The sound of water flowing is even louder now, and the green plants continue on past the hanging vines. He feels a nudge at his back then, and his head whips to see the man with the wave-like armor urging him to walk forward. When did he move behind him?

He is holding his breath as they all walk past the curtain of hanging vines as a group. 

Kyungsoo hears several gasps from every direction. He feels Junmyeon’s fingers tightening around his arm as goosebumps erupt over his skin. 

There is a large drop from the edge of the cliff they’re standing on. But then, right in front of them, he sees a glistening in the distance.

There is a misty haze from the falling waters around, but there beyond the waters- beyond the large rocks that the waters flow around- lies a city built high on the cliffs far away. It shines bright, like some sort of beacon. The columns are majestic and high, the buildings becoming higher towards the center of the island. 

There are golden domes sparkling under the light of the day, drawing Kyungsoo in. Water flows off from the edges of the rocks, in massive waterfalls that create a curtain under the city. The mist from the water crashing in the rocks glistens in the light like fairy dust, Kyungsoo spotting hints of colors reflecting off of it.

It’s magical, absolutely unreal, and Kyungsoo is so caught up in it all until he glances at the sky. There’s a single light source there, and for a moment he mistakes it for the sun. But that’s completely impossible...

Kyungsoo takes a deep breath then, finding the air is fresh and clean unlike the stuffy caves. There are birds flying above the waters too, the distant screeches sounding almost like seagulls, but a bit off.

Kyungsoo lets out a breath, feeling like someone had punched him in the gut. 

“Is this-” 

Kyungsoo hears Baekhyun choking up in the middle of his sentence. That disbelief he hears in the other’s voice, he feels it all too well. His eyes are wide and he cannot look away. 

The high columns, the golden domes, the rock statues at the edges of the cliffs and the waterfalls. 

_Just like his books described it._

His lower lip trembles, and his eyes sting with fresh tears. He wants to move, but he can’t. He stays frozen in his place, unable to even nod meekly. 

This doesn’t feel real. Despite the breeze hitting Kyungsoo’s face- despite the scent of the salty sea and nature around- despite it being right here in front of his eyes, it still doesn’t feel real. 

It can’t be real. This all has to be a dream.

He flinches when someone moves beside him. The figure of the man with the wavy armor appears in front of them with one swift jump on the rocks. He lands down, squatting. The toned muscles of his torso are visible and flex, moving as he plants his spear in the ground and reaches up to push his mask off his face. 

Kyungsoo’s eyes are wavering when he sees the sun-kissed skin appearing inch by inch. The striking blue tattoo on his face seemingly glows, plump lips parted slightly as sharp, cerulean eyes bore into his.

“You said you wanted to find Atlantis,” he speaks quietly and clearly, gaze calculating, as he raises himself slowly to stand up straight. The breeze blows through the strands of his white hair, his eyes remaining unreadable.

“Congratulations.” His tone is curt, defensive. “You did.”

“I…” Kyungsoo’s mouth opens and closes, eyes unable to leave the man in front of him now. The others are still caught up on the city, but Kyungsoo- he’s distracted by those pooling eyes of the Atlantean before him. His heart and mind are racing, but somehow through it all, he’s able to remember a few words he had come across in his research. Words that he hopes give the same meaning that he thinks it does.

“ _V-Vencai…_ ”

The man’s calculating gaze falters for a moment as he blinks a few times, clearly thrown off. His eyes flit between Kyungsoo’s own, and _oh fuck_ Kyungsoo knows that look.

As a linguist, you learn that look. Either he just offended the other man completely or, well. Who knows. All he knows is, usually that look means he made a _mistake_. He can only pray it wasn’t one that really does get them killed.

The other man tilts his head ever so slightly, eyes never leaving Kyungsoo. His gaze hardens then, and the man with the cracked mask comes to his side. He quickly removes it, and Kyungsoo is surprised at how young the man is as well. Both look to be in their twenties, skin flawless and stark white hair falling in their eyes. Kyungsoo cringes when he spots a bruise starting to swell at his jaw. The man looks at him with disdain, and Kyungsoo quickly avoids eye contact.

“ _Vana teh aca orteh acai, aemyr-cae?_ ”

Kyungsoo’s brows furrow as he tries to understand. He thinks he hears ‘ _where do we take them’_ but he doesn’t quite understand the end. There’s a possessive ‘ _cae_ ’ in there, but he can’t for the life of him remember what the other word could be. If only he had his journal.

He feels unnerved by the calm and collected gaze of the man in the front. His fingers seemingly tighten around his spear as he utters out two simple words. 

“The castle.”

  
  


~

  
  


Kyungsoo is on the verge of tears the entire time they make their way through the city. He wants to look around, wants to take everything in - from the high columns to the low houses along the streams running in intricate patterns through some of the streets. 

There are people, too. All with that same striking white hair and with sun-kissed skin, looking at them with either curiousity or borderline fear as they’re being led to the inner parts of the island. Kyungsoo notices the differences between the attire of the men with the masks who are leading them forward and the others gathering around. They don’t have the scale-like protectors on their forearms, instead, they have golden bracelets that shimmer under the light. They don’t have leather straps running across their chests, instead they have flowing blue clothes that dance with the wind. For the men, their chests are revealed, and for the women, their chests are covered by a single piece of cloth. All of them have tattoos along their torsos and necks, but Kyungsoo notices that none of them have any on their face.

His eyes flit to the man that had spoken to him before, catching his cerulean blue eyes for only a moment. Perhaps he really is vastly different from the others.

But he has no time to focus on that, because the longer they walk, the less people appear on the streets to look at them. The streets are bigger now, but look much older and aged. There is more water in beautiful pools and ponds, birds chirping at their edges. The columns become and the gold shimmers even brighter when they turn each new corner. 

The castle, Kyungsoo assumes after what the man at the front had said, is truly majestic. 

Not like old European castles with high towers, nor like old Asian palaces. This palace is magnificent in the way it feels and looks so _raw_. 

There are vines growing on the sides of the columns, hiding the intricate patterns that shimmer in the marble. There are conches and shells adorning the bases of the columns, and the water is still in front of them- so still it almost looks like glass. There is no way to get to the gates except for the single path of huge and flat stones in front of them. 

The men standing in front of the gates have the same spears their kidnappers carry, and they also share the same armor on their forearms. ‘ _Warriors_ ’, Kyungsoo realizes with a quiver of his lip. When they are close enough, they see the same for protection, only instead it is branded on the metal protecting their shoulders.

“ _Tu_ ,” the man in the front says while reaching up to remove his mask. Upon seeing him, the guards in front of the gate immediately sink down on one knee. After bowing, they stand, moving away without uttering a single word. Kyungsoo blinks soundlessly as he watches them go. 

He hears a heavy creak as two of the masked men with them reach out to push the gates open. 

The inside is teeming with life, just like outside. The stone paths form swirling patterns along the water, twisting into intricate spirals. The ceilings are high, with vines hanging from them. The light is streaming in through the open walls, where the water from inside flows down in gentle little waterfalls. 

And there, right in front of them where all the stone paths connect, on top of the few marble steps, sits a throne. Golden armrests and beautiful wave-like designs flow all over its surface, very much like the armor of the man in front. There are shells at the feet of the throne too, and Kyungsoo looks up then to the man sitting on it. 

His hair is just as strikingly white as that of everyone else he has seen in the city so far. He is wearing a long robe, various shades of blue morphing together. The stitchings are golden, as are the patterns at the very end of his sleeves. 

His eyes are just as deep and blue as those of the man leading them forward when they flicker towards them.

He also has a tattoo on his face, starting at his forehead and running down the side of his face, like a crescent. It’s much more detailed than the one on his kidnapper’s face, but very similar.

His fingers tighten around the scepter he’s holding, and the look in his blue eyes shifts from confused to harsh within a few seconds. 

“ _Atriy-cae_.”

Kyungsoo flinches when he hears the spears of their kidnappers stomping the ground in unison, before all of them sink down on one knee. They keep their heads low and Kyungsoo’s eyes travel back to the throne. 

The man sitting there doesn’t look much older than the ones he’d seen earlier, but there is something more mature about his face and cat-like eyes. He looks awfully tired, though, like he hadn’t slept in ages. He uses the scepter as support to stand up, his harsh blue eyes not even acknowledging the warriors, instead moving between Kyungsoo and his friends. 

He feels his heart skipping a beat when his eyes meet that deadly gaze. 

_Their king_. 

Kyungsoo wonders for a split moment if he’s expected to bow too. He isn’t sure. He only knows that he feels chills running up his spine at the sight of that man looking at them like they’re vermin. 

“ _Vol ve dea?_ ” He asks, and his voice is soft and quiet, yet filled with a certain hardness that is not to be defied. 

_What is this?_

That’s what he’d just asked, and Kyungsoo feels his breath hitching as he sees the other man with the face tattoo rise from his bow. He stands tall, before taking a step up those marble stairs. 

He starts speaking in Atlantian then, way too quickly. His voice is deep and husky, and the way he speaks the harsh sounds of Atlantian sound so smooth and soothing. Kyungsoo is barely able to catch some of the words he’s saying, words like ‘understand’ and ‘speak’. 

He waits for a reply then, but the king just peers down at them, before letting out a harsh ‘ _Ne’_. 

A no. 

Kyungsoo recoils a little, bumping slightly into Junmyeon who is still helping him stand up straight. 

“What are they saying?” the doctor whispers quietly, and Kyungsoo just shakes his head, trying to listen even harder. The man with the armor had started speaking again, sounding a little more irritated. 

“I think this is their king,” Kyungsoo whispers back frantically. “He is angry that they brought us here.”

“Why?!”

Kyungsoo flashes a look towards Baekhyun and his panicked eyes. He strains his ears, trying to hear better, but the conversation had cut off. When he looks up, he sees two identical pairs of cerulean eyes peering down at him. 

The king takes one step forward, and Kyungsoo feels the urge to turn around and run, despite his fucked up leg. 

“You are not welcome here.”

“ _Veli!_ ”

_Brother_. Kyungsoo’s eyes shoot from the man with the wave-like armor and simple face tattoo to the one sitting atop the throne. 

He is still looking down at them expressionlessly, harshly assessing the situation as he takes yet another step down the marble stairs. 

“You should go,” the king says in their language, and Kyungsoo feels Junmyeon’s fingers tightening around him. He hears an affronted exhale from the side. He’s pretty sure it’s Jongdae. “While I am still allowing it.”

“Minseok!” 

“No!” he suddenly shouts. He looks to the man at the bottom of the stairs with disappointment and anger swirling in his piercing blue eyes. “You’ve become soft. You should have killed them where they stood for coming anywhere near here.”

The man does not back down, and Kyungsoo really _really_ isn’t ready to be killed by a family feud of all things. Before he can speak, Kyungsoo hesitantly steps forward.

The small shuffle of his feet has everyone immediately on high alert, every single warrior in that room raising their spear at him. The king- Minseok- and the man whip their heads to look at him.

“ _Vaer_ ,” Kyungsoo says weakly, trembling like a leaf. The last thing he wants is to make this situation any worse, but god damn it he has to try _something_ . “ _Aca ne t-teh… skotta._ ’

He waits in agony as everyone just stares at him, a few of the palace guards looking at him in barely concealed awe. He wanted to let them know that they mean no harm, but whether or not he completely butchered that statement is a mystery. He seems to have struck a chord with the king, though.

Minseok stares at him, gaze no longer calculating as he blinks in surprise.

Kyungsoo is thrown off by the small, smug look on the other man with the face tattoo as he looks to the king.

“ _Fiar?”_ he says.

‘ _See?’_

At that, Minseok’s expression hardens again. He glares straight at his brother. 

“I said no. That is the end of this discussion.”

“They are _not_ leaving,” the man says in perfect Korean, obviously wanting the others to hear. The next moment though, he is back to Atlantian, speaking more quietly. “ _Acai koi jel aca_.”

Kyungsoo blinks at that. 

‘ _They can help us_ ’?

Help them?

Minseok’s upper lip curls in disgust, but he sighs. He steps down again until he is on the same level as his brother. He faces him, both of them speaking quietly back and both. Kyungsoo notices the man getting exasperated, his expression almost desperate as he argues with the king. They both point to Kyungsoo and his friends multiple times, and Joohyun softly tries to ask what they’re saying now, but he can’t understand a thing.

Finally, after what feels like hours, Minseok looks to them. The man does too, their matching blue eyes looking over each person before them. 

“You may stay for the time being. But do not get comfortable because your stay will be short. We barely have enough resources for ourselves, let alone _guests_ ,” he says, clearly irritated. “You will hand in any weapons. We are a peaceful people.”

He practically spits the last sentence, venom in his words.

Jongdae snorts behind him, whispering lowly. “Tell that to the asshole that poked me with a spear for the last two hours.”

Kyungsoo is ready to turn around and slam his friend right in the face. He prays to all holy deities out there that nobody else heard him. Only Seulgi seems to have also caught his mumble because she gives him an incredulous look. 

Minseok, thank God, did not hear a thing. In fact, he seems very done with this entire situation, shooting glares at his brother who orders the guards to take Kyungsoo and everyone else away. Now they are not led by pointed spears, but the guard does try to push Kyungsoo when he lingers before the king and his brother.

The king stares at him again, and Kyungsoo gulps. He tries to mock how the other Atlanteans bowed to him earlier, raising himself clumsily afterwards and speaking clearly despite the pain in his foot screaming at him.

“ _K-Kevaeten_.”

A thank you in any culture can go a long way, and it seems that it does here as well. The king blinks at him for a few moments, but nods ever so slightly. That is enough to have Kyungsoo feel minor relief. 

At least he is able to show some sort of respect.

Junmyeon has lingered behind as well, immediately reaching out to help him hobble away. They walk with the guard now, and Kyungsoo is happy when he’s no longer pushed too aggressively but rather guided. He strains his ears as he leaves the throne room with the rest of his crew, hearing various words like ‘ _murderers_ ’ and ‘ _help_ ’ being hissed from the brothers behind him.

He lets out a sigh when the gates to the throne room are shut once they leave, the conversation of the king and his brother muffled and out of range. 

  
  


**~**

It has been several hours. Kyungsoo isn’t sure how many exactly, but the light seeping through the window is dimming, painting the sky in orange and red tones slowly.

It had been hours, yet he still can’t wrap his head around all this. 

He is in Atlantis. 

He _found_ Atlantis. 

The room he had been given is quite spacious. The ceiling is high, the decorations on all walls and furniture are just as deep and rich as those that he saw in the rest of the palace. He would have thought that after the king’s grumpy attitude they’d be elad to prison cells. 

But no- the mattress of the bed is incredibly soft and kind to his back. It almost makes him tear up when he lies down after months of sleeping in the submersible’s shitty bunks. His leg is pulsing with pain, but he is able to forget about that for a moment as he simply slides his hand against the window pane, looking out. 

The room is situated in a high tower at the very center of the city, and the view presents him with the descending cliffs and houses. He can see the seagulls flying in the distance. The waves of the sea softly shining under the dimming lights behind the horizon. 

He throws a look to the other windows lining the tower. He wonders if his friends are there, if they’re doing alright. 

They separated them all in different rooms. They didn’t want them to talk to each other or conspire, he assumes. Quite honestly, he understands it. 

But it feels rather lonely now that he’s all by himself in his room, looking down at the golden domes of the shining city of Atlantis. 

The pain he feels in his heart is constant, unforgiving and harsh, yet somehow sweet. He did it. He finally achieved his goal. 

But he was alone. 

The one who had ignited his dream, his brother - he was gone. And he will never get to see all this, hear all of his stories once he returns...

Kyungsoo breathes out heavily as he looks down at the city. He had fulfilled his dream. _Their_ dream. He found Atlantis for _them_.

And so much more. 

He feels his fingers digging into the window pane and his lips pursing in concentration. The city is alive. There is water flowing, nature growing and flourishing, animals thriving. 

_People_. 

He just cannot understand no matter how much he stares. How is this even possible? How has a civilization like this survived so long without coming in contact with the rest of the world? And all survived down here?

Where even _is_ here? They’re inside a cave, but yet high above the city is a bright light, mimicking the sun with its warm rays that cast down on the city below. He does not have an explanation for this. 

How did all of this _survive_?! 

How did no one know about it? 

Kyungsoo stares up at the light source, brows furrowing in concentration as he tries to make out its shape. However, he’s completely startled when his view is suddenly gone, and instead of the horizon all he can see are two cerulean eyes staring straight into his soul. 

He stumbles back when the face appears only inches away from his, heart racing as he almost falls down from stumbling over his injured foot.

He has roughly two seconds to assess the situation. 

There was a man at his window. 

The man is the King’s brother. That king’s brother is a _prince_. 

A prince of _Atlantis_.

The prince is holding onto the larger stones jutting out on the outer side of the tower and looking at him calmly. The strands of his white hair are being blown by the wind, his skin golden under the setting sun’s rays. Kyungsoo barely has time to register his sharp jawline and beautiful blue tattoo running through his eyelid before the man gracefully jumps into the room.

“What the-...how did you-” Kyungsoo throws a horrified look towards the window. “How did you get up here?!”

“I climbed,” the man replies simply and Kyungsoo lets out a breath. That tower must be at least forty meters high, how in the hell-

Kyungsoo holds a hand up to his chest, trying to calm his racing heart as he takes a better look at the man before him. He’s no longer wearing his armor or mask, and he can’t help but feel his breath hitching at the sight of the man. 

The prince is wearing nothing but a light blue cloth intricately wrapped around his waist and held together by a decorative pin. There are some patterns on it, in different shades of blue and white. It reaches his knee on one side, but gathers up to almost the middle of his thigh on the other. There is leather showing just underneath the cloth, tightly hugging his thighs. It is a darker shade of blue, almost navy, the cloth attached to it tightly so it would not slip. 

And that’s about everything he’s wearing. 

Kyungsoo almost chokes at the expanse of flawless skin that the other man is showing - his long, toned legs and his strong, smooth chest. His abs are on display as well.

Like Hawaiian bread, his brain helpfully supplies. Great. Now Kyungsoo doesn’t know where exactly to look. His throat feels dry all of a sudden, and he hopes his face doesn’t look as red as it feels. 

The prince has a tattoo just under his shoulder. It’s the same shade of blue as the one on his face, and the pattern reminds Kyungsoo of the swirling stone paths in the throne room. He must have not seen it earlier because of the armor. 

There is a golden earring hanging from one of his ears, and a golden bracelet sitting snug against his bicep. There is also one around his ankle, glinting in the dimming lights of the sunset.

It looks so beautiful on him, against his sun-kissed skin, that Kyungsoo feels himself gawking. 

Kyungsoo’s eyes fall to the dip of the prince’s collarbones, suddenly distracted by the black leather lace around his neck. Hanging at the end is a small crystal, cut in the shape of an obelisk. The sides are smooth, meeting at a dull point at the bottom of the crystal. It glows a beautiful blue, matching the prince’s tattoos perfectly. Kyungsoo’s brows furrow when he realizes it glows softly, just like the quartz veins from the caves. 

  
  


The man is standing there silently for a few moments, observing him just as curiously as Kyungsoo had been until now. The prince is barefoot, his white hair swaying with the light breeze. 

And then their eyes meet. 

“You said your name is Kyungsoo, right?” 

His voice is soft and quiet, and Kyungsoo nods cautiously. 

The man hums, still looking at him with curiosity burning behind the waves of blue crashing in his eyes. When he steps towards him, the bracelet on his ankle clinks quietly. Only now does Kyungsoo finally note that he’s not holding a spear this time around. He’s not carrying the leather strap with the knives anymore. He’s not armed. 

He’s not here to hurt him. 

“How are you-” Kyungsoo stops himself from blurting out something stupid like ‘alive’. Instead, he runs a tongue over his dry lips. “How is this possible? Atlantis….how did this happen?” 

The man just ignores his question as he paces around the room. Kyungsoo’s breathing becomes faster as he watches him simply move around, body tall and lean, the muscles defined and still very much distracting. He looks like a panther, each of his movements filled with power and grace.

“What did the king mean when he said you don’t have resources?” 

The man stills for a moment, and Kyungsoo can see the unmistakable flash of sadness filling his face. It only lasts for a brief moment, though, before those sharp eyes are looking at him again. 

“I ask the questions here,” he cuts him off, before taking one step towards him. His white hair is falling in front of his eyes like a curtain, his plump lips parted. “How did you find us? How did you get past the _leviläinen_?”

“Past the what?” Kyungsoo’s brows furrow, before something clicks in his head. “The leviathan?”

The man in front of him just stares silently with a set jaw, awaiting an answer. Kyungsoo bites on his lower lip. 

“I studied a lot of books and spent years of my life on research. We used biometrical data and sonars to pinpoint the estimates of the location. As for the leviathan, he really inflicted a lot of damage on our submersible, but we used smaller pods to escape it,” Kyungsoo blurts out quickly, shaking his head. All of this seems so irrelevant right now. So fading in comparison to everything they’d found. He doesn’t even notice just how confused the man in front of him looks. “How is there light down here? The radars said we’re thousands of meters below the surface so what is _that_?!” 

He watches as the man’s jaw tightens again as he throws a look out the window. When his eyes shoot back to him, there’s a slightly harsher look in them. 

“I said I ask the questions here,” he says, sharp. Then he looks at him agonizingly slowly, all the way from his face down to his toes and then back up. His expression is unreadable as he raises one perfectly white eyebrow. “You say you’ve done research. You are a scholar, are you not?”

A scholar? Kyungsoo almost scoffs. That’s one way to put it. He ends up vaguely nodding again. 

“How did you learn my language?” 

Kyungsoo is about to blurt out yet another reply, before he catches himself. The prince is peering down at him with his blue eyes, expecting the answer. Kyungsoo, however, breathes in deeply and tries to ignore his shaky hands. 

“This is not fair,” he ends up saying quietly, hesitantly. “I have questions of my own too.”

The look in the Atlantian’s eyes changes completely - from harsh to absolutely threatening. The seas are storming in his eyes and Kyungsoo tries to stand his ground. 

“You came looking for my city with your horde. You are intruders. You carry _guns_. You have no say, no right for pretenses.”

“You are the ones who held knives to our throats,” Kyungsoo says back breathily, and watches the intrigue spread on the other man’s face. He stills down for a second, tilting his head. 

He looks like he isn’t used to someone actually arguing with him. The life of a royal must really translate to all cultures then.

It takes him a few moments to reply, and he spends every second just staring at Kyungsoo with that deep, piercing gaze. 

“Fair enough,” he ends up saying softly. His ankle bracelets clink together as he steps towards the window again. He leans against the windowpane, before looking at him sharply again. “But if I don’t want to give you an answer, then I’m not going to.” 

“Same here,” Kyungsoo says, his nails digging into his palms because of how hard he’s clenching his fists. He watches the man in front of him narrow his eyes slightly, before eventually nodding. 

Kyungsoo feels the harsh net around his heart loosening, and he almost lets out a relieved sigh. Instead, he limps forward, already raising his hand and spreading his fingers. With every step he takes, the more the other man’s eyes widen. 

“So you ask one question, then I ask one. Deal?”

The prince looks down at his outstretched palm warily. Kyungsoo blinks at him in surprise, before it dawns on him. Different cultures. Right.

“In my land, people shake their hands when they want to seal an agreement,” he explains quietly, and the man’s cerulean eyes shoot up towards him instantly. His brows are furrowed, confusion evident.

“You want to hold my hand?”

The linguist feels a pang in his chest as his hand immediately falters. He steps back almost defensively, already feeling the heat traveling up his neck and towards his face. 

  
“N-No! That’s not what I meant. It’s just-.... _nevermind_.”

He tries to not blush too hard as he looks at the Atlantian in front of him. He seems confused for a few moments, before he slides back on the window pane. He is suddenly squatting on it, half of his body almost hanging out from the tower. Kyungsoo feels shivers up his spine, as he almost lunges forward to hold on to the man and pull him back in. 

“Be careful,” he says in alarm and watches as an amused smirk pulls the prince’s plump lips. 

He seems entertained, as he simply swings back and forth, the breeze messing up his beautiful white hair. 

“What is your first question?”

Kyungsoo blinks silently, as he tries to gather his thoughts. 

Here he is. In Atlantis. Talking to an Atlantian.

He has the opportunity to answer all of the questions he has had for a decade. Questions that had been burning in his mind since his brother had first shared stories of this lost empire with him as a child.

But yet, only one question burns on the tip of his tongue now.

He looks up slowly, still shivering, as his eyes meet the cerulean ones. 

“Who are you?” 

The prince before him stills a little, as if realizing that they never really properly introduced themselves to each other. His leg hangs from the window as he sits down, the other crosses and tucked under his strong thigh. He looks at him assessingly.

“My name is Jongin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JONGIN IS FINALLY HERE T_T We hope the scenes with the Atlanteans was as fun for you as it was for us. We worked especially hard on this chapter so please, please let us know what you think~ We love reading all of your comments <3


	4. Chapter 3

They both stare at each other.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo says, testing the name on his tongue. The prince nods, gaze heavy as Kyungsoo fidgets. Kyungsoo thinks that perhaps Jongin feels just as awkward as him at this moment, standing here before a foreigner that is obviously not very welcome to his city. He can tell the other is determined to ask him something, but is obviously hesitant in doing so.

Kyungsoo thinks back to the various words and phrases he had caught Jongin hissing at the king. If it’s true that something is wrong and they need help, then Kyungsoo’s heart goes out to the prince in front of him. The linguist decides that since it’s obvious he isn’t in any sort of immediate danger at the moment, the least he could do is offer a kind smile.

Jongin watches as Kyungsoo looks up at him properly, blinking as if surprised at Kyungsoo’s smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo says quietly. “I’m sorry for the trouble we’ve caused you. We… honestly did not expect any of this.”

The prince seems very thrown off at the apology, but doesn’t acknowledge it. His eyes turn a little sharp, instead. “And what did you expect?”

His tone is accusatory, and normally Kyungsoo wouldn’t stand to be spoken to in such a way, but then he remembers himself. Where he is. This is just like the abroad trips Kyungsoo went on during his college years. This is a society where _he_ is the outsider, and he just needs to accept that.

“We don’t really know what we expected to find-”

“And yet you found yourself here.” 

Jongin starts to pace again. He’s about to throw another question at Kyungsoo, but then he seems to remember their deal. He stops, looking at Kyungsoo expectantly.

Kyungsoo finds his heart skipping a beat. He looks out the window then, seeing the colors slowly fading to a dark blue. There is a glow in the sky now, as if there is a moon. Only the color is like that of the crystal veins within the caves, a light blue washing over the city and reflecting in the waterways running along the walkways. 

“T-That glow… What is-” Kyungsoo yelps as pain shoots through his foot, stumbling forward as he tries to walk toward the window. He nearly falls face first onto the stone floor, but there’s a firm grasp on his elbow that catches him. He whips his head around to look at Jongin as he carefully helps Kyungsoo to sit on the floor. 

Kyungsoo cringes, holding his foot and breathing in sharply. Jongin kneels in front of him, eyes flitting to his foot.

“Are you alright?” Jongin asks, and Kyungsoo glances at him. There is a spark of concern in the other’s cerulean gaze.

“No,” Kyungsoo sighs, trying to will the pain away before he starts tearing up like he usually does. He can’t cry in front of the prince. He’ll never let himself live it down. “I hurt it in the submersible after the leviathan attacked us. But it’s only gotten worse.”

Jongin’s brows furrow, giving Kyungsoo a quick glance before reaching out. His touch is gentle, fingers warm as he carefully turns Kyungsoo’s foot this way and that to take off his shoe and sock. Kyungsoo grits his teeth, trying not to focus on the purpling skin around his ankle and the top of his foot. God, it’s really gotten worse since Junmyeon looked at it yesterday.

Jongin assesses it, tilting his head like Junmyeon did and adding steady pressure here and there as if trying to figure out if it’s broken.

“M-My friend- the one that helped carry me here. He’s a doctor.” Kyungsoo looks at Jongin a little desperately, but the prince only pauses to look at him.

“A doctor,” Jongin says almost in a mocking tone, smiling a little. It looks almost mischievous, and Kyungsoo can only blink in confusion. The prince gently puts Kyungsoo’s foot down, hands reaching to the leather necklace around his neck. He brings it over his head, the strap softly tousling the white strands of his hair. 

Kyungsoo gapes at him as he holds the small crystal in his hand, cupping Kyungsoo’s heel as he brings it towards the skin. Kyungsoo never removes his gaze from it, watching in awe as the steady glow seems to seep away from the crystal itself. The brilliant blue flows over Kyungsoo’s foot like running water, and he sees it swirl over the purpling skin.

What happens next, he can hardly explain. Before, his foot was hot to the touch, aching and throbbing to no end. Now, what feels like a cool breeze washes over his skin, it soothing as it spreads along the injury. What surprises Kyungsoo the most is the fact that the pain disappears almost immediately, evaporating from his skin as if it had never been there in the first place. Jongin gently brings the crystal over it again, and Kyungsoo realizes his foot no longer throbs either.

The gentle glow remains on his foot even as Jongin brings his hand away, as if the crystal had stained Kyungsoo’s skin. Kyungsoo’s lips part as he stares, watching the glow slowly fade. With it, it takes away the purpling bruise, leaving his foot looking as if it had never been hurt in the first place.

Kyungsoo hesitantly moves his toes, gasping when it feels _normal._

Jongin sits back as Kyungsoo reaches out to feel his own foot, probably looking like an idiot as he pokes and prods his own skin.

“Oh my god,” Kyungsoo exclaims, unable to stop the smile from breaking out onto his lips. He looks to the prince next to him, who is sitting with his legs crossed. Jongin smiles back at him a little. “How is this possible?”

Jongin looks at the crystal in his hand, staring at it for a few moments and thinking to himself. He looks at Kyungsoo, and that’s when he notices the prince’s eyes don’t look as sharp as before.

Kyungsoo’s breath hitches as Jongin holds out the crystal for him to take, the linguist careful as he cups his hands and holds it between his palms. It’s cool to the touch, still glowing just like Kyungsoo had seen the veins do deep within the caves. It doesn’t spread into his skin like it had done to Kyungsoo’s foot when Jongin was holding it, but nevertheless, Kyungsoo is amazed by it as he runs the tip of his fingers along its smooth surface.

“It’s our life source.”

Kyungsoo is knocked out of his trance by Jongin’s deep voice, looking to the prince to see his slight begrudging expression. He seems as if he doesn’t want to tell Kyungsoo this, but senses that it’s unavoidable.

Jongin’s pretty blue eyes look at the crystal in Kyungsoo’s hands.

His lips are pursed together in an almost invisible frown, before he clears his throat and reaches out to grab the crystal back from Kyungsoo’s hand. 

Before he can even react, the Atlantean Prince slips the leather necklace over his head again, the crystal glowing softly over his defined chest. He stands up swiftly and walks over to the window again. 

“Come on,” he urges once and then looks away when he climbs up on the pane. “Follow me.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows shoot up and the scoff leaves his lips before he can stop himself. The prince looks back at him over his shoulder, and Kyungsoo finally remembers how to move. He pushes himself off the ground slowly, too scared to put any weight on his foot. He tests it lightly - pressing his toes a little harder into the ground. Then his entire sole, moving his weight to that leg. 

Another breath escapes past his parted lips in disbelief. 

Nothing. No pain. No swelling. 

He has so many questions swirling in his mind as he looks up to Jongin who is still waiting for him. So many pressing inquiries. 

Yet, at the sight of Jongin just raising his eyebrows lightly, the light from the sunset glowing over his head like a halo, all he can do is breathe in deeply. 

“You want me to go out there? From the window?” he asks, and when the prince’s eyebrows just slightly raise, he lets out another scoff. “ _No_ way.”

The Atlantean just stares at him blankly for a few seconds, before he shuts his eyes and lets out a breath in what seems like mild irritation. Kyungsoo’s brows knit together as he watches the man jump back inside the room. He is grateful that he fixed his leg, but climbing on the side of the tower? 

“I tend to be very uncoordinated,” he blurts out in an attempt to make up more excuses, pointing to his once injured foot. “I always trip and fall, you saw the result for yourself. And just, climbing down the side of a castle?! I don’t think that’s a great idea-”

“There are guards placed in front of every single room in the castle,” the prince says and when he opens his eyes again there’s a harder look in them. “The moment you step foot out of that door, the King will know.”

Kyungsoo blinks. “So?”

“So you’ll never get the answers you want,” Jongin says with certainty. He takes one step towards him, the ankle bracelets clinking lightly with his movement. He raises one perfect white eyebrow, his hair swaying when he tilts his head to the side. His eyes are hard and unreadable. “Do you not _want_ answers?”

Kyungsoo’s top lip curls as he tries to fight his inner struggles. Of course he wants answers. Of course he wants to see Atlantis. Of course he wants to get out of the confinement of this room and see everything with his own two eyes. 

There’s a very high chance that he just slips and dies while trying to get down from that goddamn window, but the thought also occurs to him that there was a very high chance that he’d die when the leviathan attacked them. 

Yet, here he is. Still breathing, still alive. 

So maybe it is worth the risk. 

His shoulders slump when he looks up to Jongin once again. There is already a small smirk pulling on his lips upon sensing his victory. 

“Good.”

Kyungsoo blinks a few times as the prince puts out his hand. His eyes flit between the other’s open palm and his amused grin. When Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything, Jongin chuckles.

“ _Now_ you may hold my hand.”

Kyungsoo flusters, frowning for a moment and walking right past the prince and onto the window pane himself.

He makes the mistake of looking down to the street meters below. It makes him a little nauseous so he hurries to look away, breath hitching as he tries to hide his face. 

Yep. He’s dying for sure. 

He startles when he feels Jongin moving past him. His body is swift and elegant, movements way too precise for someone of his height. He is holding onto the protruding stones of the tower, fingers digging between the creases of the rocks. He hangs right beside him, virtually unbothered, unlike Kyungsoo who is seconds away from having a heart attack. 

The breeze is messing up the prince’s hair, and he looks even dreamier with the colorful hues of a sky before dusk surrounding him. The city of Atlantis is shining below them, and the prince’s smile is small. His eyes glitter with amusement. 

“Avoid the cracked ones and follow me.”

Kyungsoo can’t help but to remain stiff. His legs are trembling, and he is quite literally gripping onto the stones for dear life, but he tries his best to move and follow Jongin’s path. He seems to know where each of the stones are protruding from the tower so he may properly place his feet. He is quick and agile, but Kyungsoo is entirely too slow and afraid. 

Yet, with the warm breeze and the distant screeches of seagulls flying over the sea, he has never felt more alive. 

He is a panting mess by the time they make it down from the daunting castle towers. His legs are visibly shaking when he stands on solid ground again, heart threatening to burst out of his chest. He has to reach up and dig his fingers into his chest, just to try calming it down. 

Jongin is right beside him, standing straight, not even affected by all that climbing. He seems perfectly relaxed, looking at Kyungsoo with a slightly tilted chin, as if wondering what’s wrong with him. 

Kyungsoo feels a wave of nausea overcome him when he looks up again, hardly able to spot the window they had climbed down from now. His vision is a little dotted, and he doesn’t try to stop the delirious laugh that falls from his lips.

How the fuck did he survive that?

His dotted vision worsens, and suddenly there are strong arms wrapped around him. Kyungsoo dazedly looks up to see Jongin giving him a mildly concerned expression, realizing he must have been swaying without realizing it.

“You’re… quite pale.”

Jongin helps him sit, and Kyungsoo whispers a quiet ‘ _thank you_ ’ in Atlantean. He’s dizzy, body feeling like it’s overheating as the nausea only gets worse from his adrenaline rush. He raises his knees, placing his head between them and trying to focus on his breathing.

He hears Jongin shuffle his feet in front of him, probably taking a few steps back in case Kyungsoo gets sick. Kyungsoo can’t really blame him for that.

He’s so focused on trying to recover that he doesn’t register the scuffing of another pair of feet walking up to them.

“ _Aemyr-cae_ ,” a deep voice says. “ _Teh cai esta ytasua_ \- oh.”

Kyungsoo groans, looking up with an absolutely miserable expression. He realizes the other Atlantean was asking Jongin if he had found him- _ytasua_ , as he called him. Surface dweller. The fact Kyungsoo understands what is probably a slang term without even having to ask is amazing, and he would be so proud of himself if it weren’t for the fact he feels like he’s about to throw up the contents of his stomach. 

“Did you break him?” The other man says in Korean, looking to the prince with a smirk. Kyungsoo blearily realizes it’s the one he had punched earlier. He’s missing the bruise now, and Kyungsoo wonders if he used the crystal to heal himself.

Jongin frowns, looking down to Kyungsoo as the concern only grows in his eyes. Kyungsoo shakily stands, looking up at the other Atlantean.

“He tried to kill me,” Kyungsoo says without really thinking, sighing deeply. His heart is still pounding, but it’s definitely much more manageable.

“Well that’s what we usually do to outsiders here,” the man says, and it takes Kyungsoo a long moment to realize the other is _kidding_. Well. Possibly. He takes a step back just in case, which only leaves the Atlantean to snort.

“Chanyeol, leave him be,” Jongin says in a dismissive tone. 

Chanyeol gives Kyungsoo one last smug look before regarding Jongin completely. “I’ll keep Minseok busy while you’re gone.”

Jongin nods. “We will be back soon, _kallis_.”

Chanyeol smiles at him, bowing his head ever so slightly. “Yes, _aemyr-cae_.”

With that, Chanyeol turns on his heels, ignoring Kyungsoo’s rather intrigued expression and walking away from them. The linguist tilts his head, eyes trailing back to Jongin and lingering there once they’re completely along again. The other’s striking blue eyes glance to him as well, staring at him warily when he sees Kyungsoo is quite obviously curious about something.

“So,” Kyungsoo starts. “What’s _aemyr-cae_?”

Jongin blinks. “It’s… my title.”

“ _Cae_ is a possessive ‘my’. So is ‘ _aemyr_ ’ prince?” 

Jongin gives him a weird look.

“It’s _aemyr_ . You have to focus on the ‘ _myr_ ’ more,” Jongin says, amusement laced into his tone. It sounds like a parent correcting a child’s pronunciation but Kyungsoo takes it in stride, mimicking how Jongin says it. The prince nods once he gets it right, walking a little and urging Kyungsoo to follow him.

Kyungsoo does, unable to hide the grin on his face that he pronounced it right. Which reminds him-

“H-Hey, how’s my accent?”

Jongin side eyes him for a few moments as they walk down the empty streets, the prince leading them down a path similar to the one they had walked before. “I believe it’s my turn to ask the questions.”

Kyungsoo is about to retort, but stops. He frowns a little, the excited rush of being able to speak Atlantean and actually get proper feedback crashing rather quickly. He supposes he could always ask later- if there is a later.

He tries not to dwell on that, focusing on the here and now as he walks side by side the prince. He glances at Jongin, the other seeming to be in deep thought. Kyungsoo tries to be strong and not let his eyes linger on the other’s bare chest and beautiful collarbones.

He fails miserably.

“Who sent you here?”

Kyungsoo quickly looks away when Jongin catches him staring, instead focusing on the tall ruins around him. 

“No one sent us here. It was a research expedition.” Jongin gives him a suspicious look, like he doesn’t believe him. “You have to understand… Atlantis isn’t _real_ where I come from. It’s a myth, something that’s only been accounted by very few people throughout history. The most we all had even _hoped_ to find were ruins. Old rocks, if we were lucky.”

Jongin looks a little upset now, and Kyungsoo stops short when the prince suddenly turns to him. He’s glaring, looking down at Kyungsoo accusingly. 

“Yet you knew exactly where to find the _leviläinen_. You know our language.” He steps closer, leaning over ever so slightly and getting in Kyungsoo’s face. “You are a liar.”

Kyungsoo flusters, fists clenching as he exercises every ounce of patience he has left. His eyes flit between Jongin’s, the beautiful blue striking something within him.

Jongin is a prince. He is being protective of his people and his city. Kyungsoo needs to remember he’s allowed to be paranoid and defensive.

Perhaps a little honesty would go a long way.

“My life is a joke to most of the people back home. People ask what I do, and I have to lie just to not get laughed at.” Jongin watches him silently, and Kyungsoo takes a breath before continuing. “I dedicated years and years of my life to chasing bread crumbs of information about this place. I learned your language without ever really knowing if it was _correct_. I compiled every ounce of research that is thousands and thousands of years old, not knowing if any of it was fact or fiction.”

It is silent as they both stare at each other.

Jongin’s glare softens a little then, but his expression is still entirely too guarded to get a read on him.

“Why?”

Kyungsoo is tempted to be petty and say that it’s _his_ turn for the questions, but he shakes off that thought. He needs Jongin to trust him right now if they’re going to get anywhere with this conversation, and Kyungsoo is not about to ruin his chance at getting all of the answers he’s ever dreamed of receiving.

“Because,” Kyungsoo says, giving Jongin a genuine look. “No one deserves to be forgotten from history.”

Jongin’s eyes flit all over Kyungsoo’s face for a few moments, and Kyungsoo watches with bated breath as the prince slowly steps out of Kyungsoo’s personal space. Instead, he slowly starts walking again, Kyungsoo easily falling into the same pace as they walk down the street. 

It seems that was an acceptable answer because Jongin doesn’t utter a word about it after that. Kyungsoo internally sighs in relief, finding himself staring at the sky in deep thought. He makes a sad noise as he looks at the sky. It’s spotted with clouds here and there, but Kyungsoo almost half expected to see stars. A thought occurs to him right after, and he glances at Jongin next to him.

“Can… Can I still ask you questions?”

Jongin’s expression is passive, but he can tell he’s still very much deep in thought. He nods stiffly, and Kyungsoo hums.

“How do Atlanteans tell time?”

Jongin, once again, blinks at him in bewilderment. “Time?”

“Yeah.” He gestures to the sky. “I mean, obviously you… _somehow_ have a day and night system, but how do you track the years? I assume you don’t have seasons like we do, and you can’t use the stars as guidance.” 

The prince’s mouth opens and closes, like he’s trying to process the simple question. Perhaps, he was expecting something much more prying like Jongin’s questions have been to him, but Kyungsoo wants to know everything. Even the things that some would label as trivial matters.

_Hell_. It’s not everyday an archaeologist is able to physically meet and interact with a member of what should be a mythical civilization. 

“We… use wildlife. Certain species are more abundant than others during certain times. But time is not so important to us anymore.”

Kyungsoo’s curiosity ignites like a wildfire at the ‘ _anymore_ ’, the archaeologist within him absolutely ready to start gushing with questions. But he reels himself in. Instead, he prepares himself to once again be grilled now that Jongin has the chance to ask whatever he wants.

Jongin doesn’t look at him fully, just quickly glancing at him from the corner of his eye. He guides them down a narrow alley filled with moss and various plants Kyungsoo has never seen before growing along the stone walls.

“How…do _you_ tell time?”

Kyungsoo halts momentarily. He is ready to answer ‘our phones’ with his whole chest, but thankfully, the gears in his brain start shifting. He skips forward in order to catch up with the prince, who only throws a look over his shoulder, still awaiting an answer. 

“Well,” Kyungsoo starts hesitantly. “We observe the sun. Depending on Earth’s position, we can count how many days have passed.”

“The old way, then,” Jongin hums, and Kyungsoo just blinks as he, once again, has to jog forward in order to keep up with the prince’s pace. 

“Old? What do you mean ‘old’?” 

“Is that your next question?” the prince looks at him sternly, and Kyungsoo feels his brows knitting together. He’s in the middle of evaluating his options, when he sees Jongin’s lips curling in what seems like a little smile. White hair falls over his eyes as he jumps down from a little rock on the side of the road, and it dawns on Kyungsoo when he sees that playful look shining in those blue eyes - Jongin is _joking_. “We haven’t used that method since the Great Flood.”

Kyungsoo gives a soft ‘ _oh_ ’, mind racing. He craves to write all of this down somewhere, but doesn’t have anything on him. He figures he’ll just try to remember later, instead focusing on the path Jongin is leading him down.

It’s getting more narrow, to the point where they can’t walk side by side and Jongin walks in front of him. He narrows his eyes a little, turning suspicious as they suddenly arrive in a more open area.

“Where are you taking me?” Jongin throws him an amused glance over his shoulder, and Kyungsoo doesn’t give him a chance to speak. “Yes, that is my actual question this time.”

Jongin hums. “You’re going to prove your worth.”

Kyungsoo tenses up, especially when that teasing tone disappears from the prince’s voice. He tries to joke again. “Well I’ve already proven I’m physically worthless.”

Not a laugh or a chuckle comes from Jongin, not even an amused glint to his eyes. He just stops for a moment, and turns to look at Kyungsoo with an unreadable gaze. Kyungsoo regrets opening his mouth.

Jongin looks him up and down, as if sizing him up. His voice is quiet when he speaks. “It’s my turn to ask you a question.”

Kyungsoo swallows harshly, turning nervous now that he has Jongin’s full attention. “Okay.”

“Would you be willing to set aside everything you came here for to help my people?”

Kyungsoo waits a few moments to see if the prince will further elaborate, but he doesn’t. Jongin stands there, arms crossed and a very calculating look starts to enter his gaze. Kyungsoo really doesn’t know or understand what kind of help Jongin and his people may need, but he recalls the other’s arguing with the King when Kyungsoo and the others were escorted out. ‘ _Help_ ’ was all Kyungsoo could hear coming from Jongin at that time.

Kyungsoo finds himself at a loss for words. “I… I’m not sure what kind of help I can provide for your people… You need someone like Junmyeon. He’s a doctor. Or Baekhyun. He can help with anything environmental.”

Jongin’s gaze doesn’t falter. “That wasn’t my question.”

Kyungsoo stares back at Jongin, a little unnerved. 

“Yeah... I mean- of course. I told you before, I never expected any of this,” Kyungsoo gestures to the ruins around them, and it’s then that he notices how much older and worn down this area seems to be compared to the rest of the city. “But to help you all in any way would be an honor for any of us. I mean it.”

Jongin’s eyes narrow slightly and Kyungsoo wonders if he said the right thing or if he once again managed to fuck up without even meaning to. The prince moves, and Kyungsoo blinks when the other approaches him. 

His white hair is unruly, messed up by the soft breeze. The golden earring is swaying from Jongin’s ear and catching the light every now and then just like the cuffs on his ankles, successfully distracting Kyungsoo for a moment. The prince crosses his arms over his chest and straightens up, giving him one last assessing look. 

He jerks his chin towards the ruins behind Kyungsoo without saying another word. 

Kyungsoo turns around to follow Jongin’s gaze, eyes scanning the square they had ended up in. It looks like it once was a plaza of sorts, surrounded by small ponds and high columns that are now cracked and falling apart after centuries winding them down. His mind cannot comprehend the style and it reminds him of the most ancient Greek pillars and constructions, very much like the Parthenon and the Acropolis, yet different. He takes a hesitant step towards them. There, along with the moss, he sees etchings. The colors are faded, but the carvings and traces are still there. 

His eyes light up like a child’s on Christmas day as he takes yet another step forward. He completely ignores the fact that he’s now walking in shallow waters, the coolness seeping through the fabric of his shoes and onto his skin. Instead, he raises a hand, fingers hovering over the markings along the sides of the pillar, too scared to actually touch it. 

“Oh my God,” he lets out a breath as his eyes travel up the length of the pillar when he realizes what all those carvings are. Atlantean. Old runes and symbols, carved out precisely along every surface of the pillars around him and around the faded drawings. Then his eyes shoot around the square - every wall, every pillar. Covered in text. “ _Oh my God_...”

He feels as if his heart will burst out of his chest as he tries to take it all in. He’s almost on the verge of hyperventilation, but tries to keep calm as he attempts to process this as quickly as he can. So much text, so much information he has been searching _years_ for. And it’s all here, laid out in front of him just like that. 

His fingers brush against the cool stone of the pillars, skin grazing the carvings. 

He can’t believe he is seeing all of this with his own two eyes and is having a hard time grasping reality. After years of researching and studying- after having gotten used to scavenging months on end for the tiniest bits of information for his journal- now he has all of this in front of him. 

“So?” Kyungsoo startles at the quiet voice of the prince who had crept up next to him without him even noticing. He had completely forgotten about him for a second. Jongin is standing just beside him, arms still firmly crossed in front of his chest as he raises one perfect white eyebrow and tilts his head towards the pillar. “Can you read that?”

Kyungsoo focuses on the pillars again, trying to clear the fog of excitement from his mind and instead put his brain to work. His eyes rake across the etchings. It takes a little squinting to differentiate the carvings from the cracks. He brushes a finger over the text, eyes narrowing at some symbols he doesn’t recognize. His mouth opens slightly to let out short breaths when he nods to himself. 

“It’s the history of Atlantis,” he lets out quietly, almost in disbelief. He shakes his head, feeling so incredibly overwhelmed. “This is….this is phenomenal. I can’t-...It’s all here! All of it!” 

Kyungsoo releases yet another breath, eyes glancing over the drawings in the middle of all the text. It depicts Atlanteans with their white hair and blue crystals. His fingers brush over the gold etching in the details. The archeologists would have a stroke if they were to see all of this. 

“You really can read this?”

Kyungsoo is drawn out of his thoughts by the soft voice of the prince beside him. He turns to look at him properly this time around, finally remembering the grim and somewhat threatening question from before. 

“Uh, _some_ of it,” Kyungsoo admits quietly and Jongin’s eyes shoot towards him. He’s not, however, looking at him with that determined glare anymore. Instead, there is something softer shining in his eyes, like a whirlpool of awe and distress. “I mean, I understand the general idea. I don’t recognize some of the symbols, but I can derive their meaning from other patterns. If I had my journal- “ 

“ _This_ . Right here. You can read _this_?” 

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows knit at the audible urgency in Jongin’s voice when the prince sprawls his hand over the pillar. He has the look of a mad man on his face all of a sudden, and Kyungsoo tenses up when he looks towards the text the prince is vaguely pointing at. 

“Yeah,” he ends up nodding hesitantly. He furrows his brows as he tries to translate out loud. “It speaks about some sort of being… no, a higher being? _Atua? Atua_. I don’t really understand its context, but it seems that it plays a heavy part in an atlantean’s everyday life…”

His words trail off as his eyes scan the various drawings next to the crystals, noticing that the color is severely faded but it almost reminds him of the very crystal around Jongin’s neck. More of the words describe it below the picture, so he continues on without even thinking.

“It says… sacrifices given to the _atua_? Eternal sacrifices. But I can’t really tell exactly what that means. Maybe if I look over here-”

Suddenly Jongin’s hand covers the rest of the symbols, and when Kyungsoo looks at him, the prince looks pale. He’s breathing a little heavy, watching Kyungsoo with a careful look. Surprisingly, Jongin doesn’t look angry or upset. Instead, he looks disturbed.

“Okay,” Jongin says. “That’s enough.”

It’s soft, but there is a final tone to it. Kyungsoo steps back from the mural out of respect, nodding a little awkwardly. A small silence falls between them, and Kyungsoo looks to another pillar. Just from a quick glance, he can tell the subject is about celebrations. He figures that maybe what he was reading before held too much meaning to Jongin’s culture, so he tries to change the subject and relieve the tension.

“This symbol over here… Can you tell me what it means?”

Jongin blinks a few times, pulling his hand away from the symbols now that Kyungsoo isn’t looking at them. Instead, he follows the gaze of Kyungsoo who is now intently trying to figure out what the large rune etched over a drawing of what seems to be a feast could mean. It looks familiar, but Kyungsoo can’t quite put his finger on it. 

It is silent for quite a few moments, and he realizes Jongin has not yet given him an answer. He raises a finger to point at it in case Jongin was confused. “This one.” 

He is pierced by the sharp gaze of Jongin’s cerulean eyes then, him staring right into his own. The emotions swirling there now hint at something else too. Something deeper than the awe and distress like before. Something entirely more vulnerable. 

“I don’t know,” Jongin says quietly and Kyungsoo looks back towards the pillar. He takes in the surface of it, before he reaches up to run his fingers through his hair. 

“Well judging by the look of that thing, it must be thousands and thousands of years old. It’s probably an older version of your language. It happens all the time. Languages evolve with the years, so it’s understandable. But the roots must still be the same,” Kyungsoo drifts off as he approaches the pillar. His eyes examine the words, before he points towards a sentence with inverted grammar. “Then do you still use this form of sentence structure?” 

Again, a quiet reply follows, like an echo of the first. 

“I don’t know.” 

Kyungsoo purses his lips, feeling mildly irritated that the prince would be suddenly so uncooperative after bringing him all the way here. He knows he is in no place to complain, though, and he still is not completely sure whether he overstepped some lines or not, so he just backs up from the pillar. He tries not to look too disappointed when he finally turns to look at the Atlantean. 

Jongin is not looking at him anymore. He is staring at the pillars, and it is then that Kyungsoo notices that there is longing written all over his face. His eyes are rapidly glancing all over the plaza, like he doesn’t know what to focus on. He seems, for lack of better words, lost. 

But then it dawns on him. 

“When you say you don’t know...” Kyungsoo starts, voice merely above a whisper. He feels a pang in his chest as he steps closer towards the prince. “Surely, you...you know how to read, don’t you?”

There’s a storming sea in Jongin’s eyes when he directs his attention towards him then. Like he is ready to beat him to the ground if another word comes out of Kyungsoo’s mouth. Kyungsoo fights the instinct to back up. 

“I’m sorry,” he ends up blurting out quickly. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

He truly didn’t mean for his question to come out as mocking or like he was looking down on him. Jongin throws him one last assessing look before letting out a quiet sigh and shifting his gaze towards his feet. 

“Reading...writing. That knowledge has been lost to us for many years now.”

Kyungsoo watches as the storms in those bright blue eyes settle, the soft glint that shines through them almost letting him in on the deeply concealed dejection and hurt. The prince looks vulnerable for a few short seconds. 

He tries to contain the sigh as he purses his lips. He cannot, however, contain the clawing feeling of guilt that creeps into his chest. He feels like he has something he isn’t supposed to have, something that is rightfully Jongin’s - the knowledge of this long lost language. It is ridiculous, he knows that. He spent years and years working hard for it, but seeing that flash of uncertainty and regret in the prince’s eyes bothers him nonetheless. 

It is not a good look. Not a good look on any person’s face. And it’s a pity he has to see it on the handsome face of this man too. Captor or friend, he doesn’t know that yet, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s just a pity. 

No person deserves to feel lesser because of something they have no control over. 

Kyungsoo clears his throat to get rid of the lump that has started forming, and awkwardly shifts. He tries to look as cheerful as possible when he speaks again. 

“Hey, it’s my turn to ask a question, right?” his voice sounds unnecessarily loud in the silence of the mural surrounding them. “May I?”

The prince looks up again rather sharply, and there is surprise and curiosity written all over his face. Like he is wondering what is wrong with Kyungsoo and his attention span. Maybe there is also a thin sliver of relief, and after that, Kyungsoo sees the tiniest of all nods. Curt and final. Almost invisible. 

_Shit_. 

He did not think this through. Now Jongin is looking at him, waiting for a question, and despite the thousands, _millions_ of questions he has had for the past 10 years, suddenly his mind cannot procure none. Not a single one. 

He panics as he looks at those sharp blue eyes, and his striking white hair dancing with the light wind. Jongin’s lips are plump and parted, the gold of his bicep bracelet casting shimmers when the light catches every time he moves. 

He waits, and Kyungsoo’s standing there with his mouth open, still silent. The prince raises his eyebrows, and when he does, the bright blue that runs over his eyelid, down his cheek, moves too. 

“What do your tattoos mean?!” Kyungsoo blurts out as soon as he is reminded of them, eyes stuck on the tattoo on the prince’s face.

There is wonder and curiosity filling those beautiful eyes again, but Jongin’s face remains unreadable. 

“Tattoos?” he says slowly, as if testing the word on his tongue for the first time, and his eyebrows shift again. He looks a little clueless. “What is that?”

Oh. Right. 

For a linguist who knows how hard it is to study a foreign language, he sure is stupid. 

Then again, the Atlanteans spoke perfect Korean to them, and he still has no clue how that is possible. He mentally adds this to his endless list of questions as he clears his throat and flaps his arm in the royal’s direction. 

“Those drawings on your face and arm?” 

Jongin looks to his left, eyes shifting towards the pattern tattoo below his shoulder. He looks a little more relaxed now that he knows what on Earth Kyungsoo is yamming about. Or rather, what on Atlantis. 

“Oh, you mean my mark!” Jongin muses quietly and his fingers fly up to touch his cheek right where the sharp edge of the blue tattoo - _mark_ \- ends. He hums under his breath, sharp eyes and calculating. “It’s a symbol of the royal family, bestowed upon us by the Elder Gods.”

“Bestowed upon-....” Kyungsoo blinks quickly. “Is it ink?”

“Ink?” the prince leans against one of the pillars of the mural, his arms folding in front of his chest. He raises one eyebrow and it is the first time he looks less scary. In fact, with his raised eyebrow and the tip of his lip dancing into something akin to a taunting smirk, he looks, well, unbelievably good, but also like he is making fun of him. Just a little bit. “Like...from an octopus?”

Kyungsoo stills down, brain glitching for a few long moments. 

“Well, _no_ ,” he says, and tries to find the scientific description of ink in his mind. Somehow, he is too distracted by that lethal eyebrow raise. Where is Baekhyun with his nerdy facts when one needs him? His shoulders drop when Jongin’s eyebrow only seems to raise further. He seems astonished that someone would even ask him something like that. Kyungsoo just sighs, shaking his head. “Nevermind. How did you get it?”

Jongin breathes in deeply, looking around the walls of the mural. He doesn’t seem as reluctant anymore, when he shrugs. 

“It’s tradition. On the thirtieth birthday of any prince or princess born within the royal family, when we are honoring and thanking the gods for their benevolence and kindness,” Jongin’s voice is a little airy as he lets out the words, and Kyungsoo could almost swear that he was about to roll his eyes. “We are also bestowed with the gift of power. The king, our beacon and link to the gods, delivers the deities’ wishes on to us, with his crystal. It is supposed to be a gift. A blessing.”

Jongin doesn’t seem to think much of it as he only shrugs again, peeling himself off the pillar and taking a few steps to another pillar, fingers running over the surface covered in paintings and words. 

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, is trying to process everything. He cannot keep himself from curiously staring at the crystal lying snugly against Jongin’s firm, golden chest. He has so many questions about that too, but that seems to be the one thing Jongin doesn't seem too open speaking about. At least judging by his expression from earlier. Kyungsoo doesn't really want to push it now, especially since the prince seems a little less uncomfortable around him. 

Kyungsoo clears his throat again when he realizes he’s been standing silent for too long, contemplating how a crystal can simultaneously be a life source, instant medicine _and_ a tattoo machine. He shakes his head, ridding himself of all ridiculous thoughts. 

“Thirtieth birthday?” he asks instead, eyes shooting up when the prince approaches him. He vaguely juts his jaw towards the paths between the murals and Kyungsoo gets the hint. He starts walking beside him, eyes trained on Jongin’s strong jaw and rather youthful face. “You’re older than me!”

Jongin peers down at him, not halting for even a second. His eyebrows are raised again, but not in the way that has Kyungsoo thinking that the other man probably considers him to be an idiot. No. He seems rather _amused_. 

“How old are you?”

“Just turned 28 a few months ago,” Kyungsoo shrugs. 

Jongin laughs then. The sound, quite frankly, startles him. Mostly because the _last_ thing Kyungsoo would have expected in this situation is to hear the prince _laughing_. 

His eyes widen as he simply stares at Jongin and the genuine entertainment that has his lips pulled back as he laughs loudly - a dorky sound that echoes around the ruins around them as they keep walking. It is adorable, and Kyungsoo feels a sliver of happiness inside his heart as he watches Jongin laugh. There is no trace of that vulnerable, sad look that Kyungsoo had seen before, and that makes him feel relieved.

The prince’s laughs quickly reduce to a few short and low chuckles before he lifts his arm, tapping his lips with the back of his hand as if trying to force himself not to laugh anymore. 

“Yeah,” Jongin ends up saying, and his voice sounds lighter now. His eyes are sparkling with amusement when he throws Kyungsoo another glance. “Seems like I am.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t feel like questioning the other man. He is enjoying his moment. In fact, he didn’t realize he had been smiling all this time until he feels the strain on his cheek. 

Jongin takes a turn onto another path then, and Kyungsoo vaguely registers all the green ivy twisting over the ancient ruins and columns. When Jongin walks in front of him, he catches a glimpse of the blue patterns on his arm again, just above the golden bracelet so tightly hugging his strong biceps. 

“So then what about the mark on your arm?” Kyungsoo asks now, voice light. He has already noticed that many seem to share that tattoo, especially the guards, so he assumes that it must be different from the royal mark on the prince’s face. Jongin’s mischievous look gives him all of the answers that he needs.

“I got that one to piss off my brother.” Jongin smiles a little at the snort Kyungsoo gives, cerulean eyes glancing at the tattoo on his arm a moment later. “The Elder Gods do not like the royal family to bear the marks of the common people. So you could say I did it to piss them off too.”

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows raise, questions lingering on his tongue that he knows he shouldn’t ask. Not just out of respect, but the last thing he wants is to see is the prince lose the lovely, careless smile he’s wearing now. Instead, Kyungsoo composes himself, giving the prince an easygoing one in return.

“I always wanted a tattoo. But my mom would have murdered me.”

Jongin gives him a strange look now. “Murder?”

“Figuratively. She wouldn’t have actually wanted to kill me.” Kyungsoo waves his hand. “But from all of the nagging she would have given me, it probably would have killed me eventually.”

It’s Jongin’s turn to snort now, actually chuckling a little in disbelief. He looks Kyungsoo up and down for a moment. “And what would you have gotten?”

“I don’t know. Flowers are nice.”

“ _Flowers_.”

Jongin is laughing again, this time wheezing a little when Kyungsoo gives him a flustered look. “Flowers can be cool!”

This only makes the prince laugh harder. “Is this common for your people? To get flowers marked on your body?”

“I mean- There are definitely much _worse_ choices than a flower, but yeah. I suppose it can be common. It’s usually cheaper to get someone simple done.”

Jongin’s gaze turns curious. “Marks have a monetary value where you are from? So it is not a tradition or honor?” 

Kyungsoo blinks, not really having thought about it until now. “In _some_ cultures it still is part of tradition. And some people might get it as a way to honor loved ones, or precious memories. In less traditional circumstances, I guess people just want to be able to express themselves.”

Jongin hums, contemplating. “Here, we use marks to signify important milestones in our lives. Mine is the mark of the royal guard. I got it when I took an oath to protect the people, even if it’s not a ‘Prince-ly’ thing to do.”

Kyungsoo looks at it, admiring the intricate details of the swirls circling his bicep. “It is very beautiful.”

“I am sure your flower would be beautiful too,” Jongin says cheekily.

Kyungsoo flusters a little at the prince’s remark and his playful eyes are pinned on him. It is suddenly the hardest thing in the world to multitask - to walk and to try not to trip on his own feet. 

He feels like he will say something stupid if he speaks now, so he opts for saying nothing. He only lets out a hum, and turns his eyes and undivided attention to the column on both side of the path they’re walking on. They seem even older than the ones at the mural earlier, the ivy twisting around them as if they are the only thing holding the ruins together. The leaves cover most of the texts and fill the entirety of every crack and seam. That’s how ancient they appear to be. 

“Where are we going, anyways?” he asks, fascinated by the preservation of all of this. There are some cracks along most of the pillars. It is incredible. 

Jongin doesn’t reply for a few moments, but at the next turn of the path, Kyungsoo sees the same curtain of moss and ivy that they had passed earlier when they were dragged to Atlantis from the caves. 

“After you,” Jongin says rather curtly, and Kyungsoo just throws one curious glance towards him.

He pushes the curtain of ivy aside, stepping forward and his breath hitching, like he is reliving this morning all over again. Jongin stands beside him as Kyungsoo looks out over the city once again. This time, it is from a much taller angle from their spots at the very top of the large rock formation that the palace is situated on. Directly below him, Kyungsoo sees the magnificent golds of the roofs of the palace, cracked and faded but still beautiful nonetheless. Ivy and moss curls around the swirly designs in the walls of the palace and down the streets. 

Kyungsoo’s eyes follow along the old walkways, them curving around fallen ruins and various structures that glow in the sunset-like colors being casted over the city. Kyungsoo spots Atlanteans going about their day closer towards the water’s edge. Much to his surprise, the area is teeming with life, smoke rising from some buildings that Kyungsoo assumes to be restaurants. People gather there, and it’s too far to tell for sure, but it seems to be some sort of market place.

As the lights dim, Kyungsoo can see a gentle, blue glow take over the city. It outlines some of the cracks and designs in the streets and walls, almost appearing as if the color lifts from the surface. Even some of the plant life glows the same, beautiful color. Whether it is the thick, knee high growth of the grass in some of the more abandoned areas, or the flowering plants around the castle grounds, the blue of the crystal glints everywhere Kyungsoo looks.

Jongin quietly watches as Kyungsoo looks down at his feet. He reaches down to touch the flower blooming there, laughing a little in disbelief. The blue haze that the petals give off falls like dust at Kyungsoo’s touch, small blue orbs of light seeming to float around until they become so dim that they disappear.

This place- this magnificent, magical city. It really is the place of his dreams. His heart clenches for a moment. What could have possibly happened for it to end up here?

Before Kyungsoo can even begin to contemplate, Jongin interrupts his thoughts. 

“So. What do you think?”

Kyungsoo is quite speechless. What he thinks, what he feels, it cannot possibly be put into words. Not his words. 

“ _Vencai_ ,” he whispers quietly, the soft Atlantean word carried by a small gust of wind. He slowly turns to smile at the prince, only to find him staring at him with slightly narrowed eyes and knitted eyebrows. 

Panic flashes through his chest as he recognizes that expression as the exact same one the prince had made when Kyungsoo first said that word out loud this very morning. 

Did he just offend him? Accidentally? _Again_? 

The confusion on Jongin’s face diffuses a little, as he shakes his head and his unruly white hair falls over his eyes. 

“I think you might be mistaken about the meaning of that particular word,” Jongin said, and Kyungsoo feels the panic ripping through him again. _He knew it_. 

“It… doesn’t mean ‘beautiful’?”

“It means breathtaking,” Jongin says, another hum slipping through pursed lips. He is looking over the city, hands brought together behind his back. “It is… uhm. It’s a complicated word. ‘ _Ven_ ’ is ‘absolute beauty’. ‘ _Cai_ ’ means… ‘you’.”

Kyungsoo blinks rapidly, processing the other’s words. He promptly chokes on his own spit when it registers.

Jongin continues staring at him, like he is assessing him. “It is not used in the context of cities or landscapes. It is used to describe people. Most commonly between lovers.”

This makes Kyungsoo cover his face, his cheeks growing warm. So he hadn’t offended Jongin. He had called _him_ breathtaking. _Twice_.

“Oh my God,” he almost shrieks, completely and utterly mortified. “I’m so sorry!”

“It’s alright,” he can’t see Jongin’s face right now but his voice sounds light and bright again. “You didn’t know.”

Kyungsoo is pretty sure that his face is red, but he slowly removes his hands anyways. Standing there and hiding is only making the situation more awkward than it already is, and he is not about to miss his chance looking at Atlantis just because he is a dumbass. 

“ _Niilu_ ,” Jongin says to break the ice, and Kyungsoo glances at him. “That’s the word you can use to call a place pretty.”

Kyungsoo nods, still flustered but says the word to himself. Jongin gently corrects his pronunciation, seeming to be very encouraging until Kyungsoo gets it right. In fact, Jongin seems a lot more relaxed now compared to when they had first exchanged introductions in Kyungsoo’s room. Gone is the hostile and defensive glint to the prince’s eyes- instead, it is replaced with a more welcoming and curious aura that Jongin seems to emit. 

Kyungsoo, though, is no fool. He is still very aware that the prince could easily revert back to his aggressive questions and demands at a blink of an eye, but for now Kyungsoo enjoys the other’s calming presence. Maybe it is the beautiful scenery, or the kind smile on the prince’s handsome features, but somehow, Kyungsoo feels at peace.

He smiles briefly at Jongin as the prince continues to stare at him, Kyungsoo’s gaze looking back out at the city. He looks longingly at the people down by the water’s edge, wishing he could go and see.

“Are you hungry?”

The question catches Kyungsoo off guard. 

He needs roughly two seconds to process the words and the inviting smile on Jongin’s face, before excitement hits him like a tidal wave. A meal. An _home-cooked meal_. After all those months in the submarine, eating canned food and instant rice, surviving on carefully planned out meal plans, that would feed the entire crew with the least costs and efforts. 

An actual meal. _In Atlantis!_

If Kyungsoo hadn’t started crying at all until this point of the day, now was about the best time to do that. He didn’t think he’d ever felt such immense happiness. And all because of food. 

“Yes!” he answers quickly, almost too breathily for such a simple question. “Yeah, I...I actually am.”

Jongin’s lips curl in a small smile when he acknowledges his answer. “Alright. Let’s head back to the castle and get your friends then.”

Kyungsoo’s brain registers that Jongin starts moving away, on the paths that lead to the castle. He throws one last look towards the shining city of Atlantis, the dim blue-ish lights and the streets below them bustling with life. His heart swells inside his chest yet again, before he tears his eyes away and follows the prince. 

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo breathes out as soon as he catches up to the other man. He turns to look at him briefly. “For showing me everything today. The murals, the writings, the city. It’s all so beautiful. So amazing,” as an afterthought, he adds. “ _Niilo_.”

Jongin’s lips tremble into another small smile, as he nods softly. 

But just like the sand getting washed away by the waves, the smile fades and the prince straightens. His eyes are sharp again as he looks at him. 

“I did not bring you here today just to show you how _pretty_ Atlantis is,” Jongin says, and his voice is louder now, sterner. “I asked you earlier if you would help us. You agreed. I expect you to honor your promise.”

“Of course,” Kyungsoo breathes out, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. 

“Good,” Jongin nods. “Then we will come back tomorrow, and the day after. You will help me translate the writings on the pillars, the ancient texts. We will _keep_ coming back until I have figured everything out.”

Kyungsoo looks at the prince’s jaw tightening and the determination in his eyes spiking. He doesn’t think he even has a choice in the matter, and he doesn’t think Jongin even expects him to reply. 

He does, anyways.

“Of course,” he repeats. “Of course I’ll help you.”

He does not press on. Curiosity is burning within him - Jongin seems concerned. He seems troubled. He keeps saying that they need help, yet, Kyungsoo has no idea what they need help with. He has absolutely no idea what he has just gotten himself into, but somehow he doubts he would have declined even if he knew. Jongin seemed worried, but after his reassurance that he’d help, he lets some of that forced severity melt away. He looks a little more at ease now, smiling again as they approach the castle. 

“It will be difficult, though,” Kyungsoo says, not wanting to lead Jongin on. He throws a cautious look towards him. “I will help you to the best of my abilities, but I-...I am hardly an expert. Besides, with my journal gone, I cannot translate everything. There are… symbols and word stems that I only have written there. I could have used them to derive the meanings of other words, but...”

The words die on his lips, as he feels a certain weight settling on his chest. All those years of meticulous research and digging, all documented in his journal. And now, when he needs it the most, he does not have it. It is a rather depressing predicament. 

“Your journal?” Jongin asks, but does not necessarily sound surprised. “Members of my royal guard were sent out earlier to retrieve some of your belongings per the King’s orders. I’ll see if I can find your book.”

Kyungsoo blinks up, hope filling him at once. He tries to convince himself that getting too excited would most probably end up amplifying the disappointment. Jongin doesn’t even know what his journal looks like, so how would he find it among all the books all of them carried? He is pretty sure Baekhyun alone carries at least ten different texts about fossils and plants. 

Still, he cannot help the little ray of sunshine that suddenly livens him up - having his precious research back would mean the world to him, and then he would probably be able to _really_ help Jongin. 

Kyungsoo bumps into Jongin’s arm when the prince suddenly extends it to stop him from walking forward. He lets out a little breath out in surprise, but immediately shuts up when he sees the prince’s sharp eyes shooting to the side of the path, towards the pillars and the rock formations, the thick covers of ivy. 

He straightens, and slowly lowers his hand. 

“ _Tulla uto!_ ”

Before Kyungsoo can even finish translating internally to himself that Jongin had just said ‘come out’, he hears the rustling. His eyes shoot up to the rocks and the pillars, and his heart nearly leaps out of his chest when a figure jumps from the shadows of the ivy onto the path in front of them. Another one appears from behind the pillar.

One of the men - the taller one, Kyungsoo already knows. Chanyeol. The one beside him has a more stoic face and very strong eyebrows that make him look more serious than he probably is. His hair, too, is a striking white. He has the same attire as every other Atlantean Kyungsoo has seen so far - the blue cloth wrapped around his waist, and the beautiful crystal hanging from his neck. 

Kyungsoo’s eyes shoot to his arm. There is no mark there. There is, however, a golden bracelet, very similar to the one Jongin is wearing. One on each arm. The man catches him staring, and Kyungsoo immediately looks away.

“What are you doing here?” Jongin lets out a sigh, eyes shooting towards Chanyeol. “I thought you were going to keep the King busy.”

“He _is_ busy.”

Jongin just breathes out a curt sigh, and before Kyungsoo knows it, he has switched to Atlantean. He speaks quickly, a very confident and direct tone to his voice. It is almost impossible to make out what he is saying at this speed, and Kyungsoo gets a headache just trying to focus on distinguishing each word from the other. 

The only words he somehow manages to recognize are ‘cave’, ‘book’ and ‘search’, so he can only assume Jongin is talking to them about his journal. He sure hopes he is. 

Chanyeol gives a nod, and his reply is just as quick as Jongin’s questions. 

“So where are you two going?” Chanyeol asks, and Kyungsoo is amused at how friendly and curious this big guy looks. His face is entirely too kind for someone this buff. Especially for someone he had punched just a few hours ago. 

At least it seems he isn’t holding any grudges against him. Which is nice, Kyungsoo supposes as he tries to stand a little behind Jongin.

“We are heading back to the palace,” Jongin replies, before straightening again. “Then we will take the others and have dinner in the city.”

“ _Aemyr-cae!_ ”

Kyungsoo notices the way the two men look at each other. Chanyeol, in particular, seems especially stressed all of a sudden. 

“Chanyeol, you are to gather a small group of guards to escort everybody. Sehun,” he turns to the other man. “You are to inform our guests that we are leaving when the waters cover the light.”

“But, Jongin-”

“ _I said_ ,” the prince interrupts the other man who had spoken up. He looks at him with a particularly striking gaze, the same storming tsunamis in his cerulean eyes Kyungsoo had witnessed earlier. “You are to relay our invitation. Am I clear?”

“ _Som cai souve, aemyr-cae_.”

“Very well.” Jongin brings his hands together, and starts walking forward. Kyungsoo throws a cautious look towards the two large men that are curiously glancing at him without a word, without moving. 

He breathes in and hurries to follow after Jongin. Only then does he feel the presence of the two others tracing behind them as they walk to the gates of the castle. He throws a worried glance towards the guards positioned there. 

“Is this alright?” Kyungsoo asks worriedly, and Jongin turns to look at him with slightly raised eyebrows. Kyungsoo chances another look towards the guards. “ Wouldn’t your br-... the king, be displeased?”

Jongin breathes in deeply, his pace unwavering as he keeps walking forward. He seems to contemplate for a few long moments, before turning his head towards Kyungsoo again. He purses his lips. 

“You’re right,” he shrugs his broad shoulders. “Seems like we’ll have to climb the tower again.”

At the very sound of that, Kyungsoo feels the earth beneath him start spinning. He’s suddenly feeling nauseous again. His eyes trail to the tall tower, and he feels like throwing up. How he even climbed _down_ is a mystery to him, but _up_?! 

Those guards should have just killed him back in the tent. 

Jongin’s smile blooms on his handsome face then, his plump lips pulling into the same playful smile he had given Kyungsoo before they were interrupted. Kyungsoo blinks at him just before the first chuckle escapes his lips. 

_Oh._

“You’re joking,” Kyungsoo sighs out. Relief fills him up all at once. “ _Thank God_ you’re joking.”

Jongin scoffs lightly, raising his arm and tapping his finger over his own cheek. 

“Remember?” he says cheekily, pointing at his royalty mark. “A blessing of power. Might as well use it.”

Kyungsoo glances to the prince’s royal mark, eyes drifting to the other one on his bicep. Jongin seems to be rather rebellious just from the little conversations that they have been able to share with each other. Kyungsoo figures that perhaps the king will be upset, but perhaps Jongin seems to think the repercussions are nothing to really worry about. As long as the prince is fine with it, Kyungsoo is too. 

Plus he _really_ wants to go see all of the food that Atlantis has to offer. Just the thought makes Kyungsoo giddy again. 

He purses his lips, a thought occurring to him. “The people we should bring… Maybe only a few of them.”

Jongin glances at him, an eyebrow raising. “Why is that?”

“Well… to put it bluntly, I trust only a few of them to _behave_.” Kyungsoo tries to think of the right words, not wanting to outright slander his other colleagues but wanting to make sure nothing possibly goes wrong while they are out. This is an honor, and just from the months that Kyungsoo has spent with the other geologists and archeologists, they’re not… the greatest company. “I am close with a few of my crew. I know they will be extremely respectful. I cannot vouch for the others because we aren’t as close.”

Jongin eyes him - much as he has all day, but this time it is different. There is a look of appreciation glinting in his striking blue eyes. 

“Very well. I will go with Chanyeol to make sure we bring the right people. Sehun will bring you back to your room.”

Kyungsoo nods, giving the list of names to Jongin. The prince repeats them back to him, getting all of them right on the first try. He doesn’t say goodbye to Kyungsoo when he leaves, and being the anthropologist that he is, he is left wondering if it is a cultural thing. He is able to ask Sehun next to him, but realizes he probably wouldn’t be as forthcoming about answers as Jongin is with him now.

Sehun escorts him to his room in silence. He moves effortlessly, even as they climb a steep flight of stairs. Kyungsoo tries to keep his breathing quiet, but he can’t help the sigh of relief when they finally arrive at the door to his room. 

The guards outside open the door, but Sehun does not step inside. He looks at Kyungsoo expectantly, and Kyungsoo bows his head a little. Sehun does not bear any marks of a royal, so Kyungsoo does not bow deeply like he did at the king. But he does seem to be someone important if he is here and not with the common people, so Kyungsoo tries to pay him the respect he deserves.

“ _Kavaeten_.”

A small smile pulls at Sehun’s lips. He imitates the bow Kyungsoo had given him, leaving Kyungsoo feeling warm. 

He steps into his room, the door closing behind him moments later. Kyungsoo’s eyes trail towards the window, seeing the drapes there catching in the breeze that filters through his open window. 

To think that hours ago, Jongin had dragged him out of it and forced him to scale down the palace wall. Kyungsoo smiles now, thinking back to everything Jongin showed him. He walks to his bed, letting himself fall onto his back and stare up at the ceiling. He grins, heart leaping in his chest.

It’s all just magical. Absolutely magical. 

His stomach growls suddenly, and he’s grateful that they’re going to be eating soon. Come to think about it, he hasn’t eaten since their dinner by the fire the night before.

Kyungsoo doesn’t know how much time passes as he just lays there. There is a light knock on the door that makes him spring up onto his feet immediately. Kyungsoo tries to hide his disappointment when he sees Chanyeol at the door, not Jongin.

Chanyeol has that same kind expression on his face, waiting for Kyungsoo to step aside so that he can enter. Kyungsoo does, surprised that he closes the door behind him. In Chanyeol’s hands, he holds Kyungsoo’s journal and something folded neatly underneath. He offers the journal to him, and Kyungsoo blinks in confusion when sees that they are _clothes_ folded in Chanyeol’s hands.

Chanyeol places them on Kyungsoo’s bed. “The prince wanted me to help you dress since our clothes are rather… different from yours.”

Kyungsoo feels anxious, holding his book to his chest. “Oh. T-Thank you.”

Chanyeol nods, and Kyungsoo takes a small breath before the atlantean can say anything else.

“I just wanted to apologize, by the way. For, you know… hitting you.” Kyungsoo watches as Chanyeol’s brows raise in surprise. He chuckles after a few moments, turning himself so he can fully regard Kyungsoo.

“It’s alright,” Chanyeol grins. “Barely hurt, honestly. You’re strong for your size though.”

Kyungsoo feels a little proud at that, trying not to dwell too much on the fact that along with the compliment there was a sort of bashful remark or two, feeling the tension in his body leaving him now that he knows he is at least forgiven. 

Chanyeol lays out the clothes, and Kyungsoo goes to put down his journal on his bed. He itches to write down all of his accounts so far, but he doesn’t have time. He toes off his shoes, noticing his journal automatically open to the first page from the uneven weight of it. He almost doesn’t notice it, too distracted by the fact Chanyeol is telling him to remove his shirt _and_ pants, but when he looks, his heart sinks.

There, beneath the leather wrap of his journal, is nothing but a strong, hard cover.

His brother’s picture is gone.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

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**Author's Note:**

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